No Heroes Here
by Alan Spencer
Summary: Instead of Saito, a normal boy is summoned by Louise. Not a Self Insert. An attempt to portray a realistic reaction to the situation.
1. Enslaved

**Chapter 1**

_Enslaved_

Paul opened its eyes, coughing, laying against something that could be his mattress. The air he breathed fell dirty, almost rotten, and even doing it hurt. He was dimly aware of the cloud of dust all around him, through the pain and the haze of his thoughts, and smelled something burning. He wondered if he was burning, if is mother had finally left the stove on through the night and now they all were burning. Then, he heard it. Voices, excited gabble. He was so out of it that it sounded foreign, but it was good, it fact it was just peachy-keen; whatever was happening, he wasn´t going to die.

The cloud of dust slowly cleared, its throat and its lungs slowly cleaned. When it was finally gone, it revealed a clear blue sky and the sun, cut against the sky like a cheap caricature. Seeing it mean outdoors, that he was outdoors, not at home but outdoors. He should been panicking right now, but he didn´t even have the strength for that. 'Groaning, he dragged himself to his feet. He managed to get on his knees, and then he nearly fell. One more push and he stood up. He swayed a little, but he managed to hold in place, and looked around.

Paul gulped.

First, he saw an oddly dressed adult carrying a wooden staff and that was bad enough, more than enough, but then he noticed the little girl with the pink dyed hair am his side and her dangerously short skirt and all the other people around, teenagers wearing elegant matching uniforms with animals he had never see before on their side, more wild beasts that mascots. They were some normal animals, but it didn't matter, because a few harmless and normal things didn´t mean that a good number of all these animals couldn´t rip him apart with a single bite. He took a step back, then another and tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground on his ass. Laughter bubbled through the crowd while he scrambled back, terrified.

The man looked at him with am estrange expression, like he just noticed he was there. He said something, and it was neither English nor Spanish but French. That was bad enough, leaving aside that it mean he was not even close to home, but he had flunked French class badly, so badly he couldn´t even manage to beg now. The little girl said something else, towards the man, and the two drifted into a conversation like he wasn´t there.

He breathed in and out, once and twice and god knows of many times, trying to keep himself under control. The situation was ridiculous, what he was thinking was ridiculous. He had gone to sleep contemn that it was the weekend and he could finally do what he wanted do, and now he was here on field in the middle of nowhere with beasts coexisting with French children and bald odd man. He had to be dreaming. And now that it was done, that he pulled back the curtain and called the dream a dream it would fade, all these people could fade, and in an hour or even half he couldn´t remember then anymore. He just had to wait and…

He felt soft, warm hands sliding on his face, pulling it upwards and then he saw a girl, that little girl, with her face so close to him that he could smell the breath that came up between her parted lips, kneeling on the grass beside him. Then she kissed him, right on the lips.

Paul froze on the spot, not knowing what to do or what was happening, and for a silly moment he wondered if he was doing too little, if he should return the kiss and push her against him. Then his hand was light on fire, and there was only haze and the pain, rising above everything else like a tide. He tried to hold it back, but couldn´t and screamed at the top of his lungs. He fell back holding his right hand with his left, still screaming, and rolled on the grass only barely aware of the why, only knowing that it was somehow important and that was all right with him. His eyes rolled back to his head and…

"..rinse." He croaked out, vaguely nauseous, not really aware of what he was saying or why, felling something soft against him. For a moment he allowed himself to think he was just lying in bed, ignoring the jagged edges of his fading nightmare, and then opened its eyes.

It was definitively not his room. The shock was big enough that he only just noticed the girl, on the edge of his vision. He saw the smooth nape of her, her shirt hanging down her shoulders and that there were no straps and that mean she was braless and if she was then he only needed to move a little bit to the side to see everything. By the time he remembered enough to realize that looking that long was a bad idea, she turned her head back-it was that child am the field- and saw him looking am her nearly topless form. She turned around, hands and her hips, the buttons of her shirt still undone, pointing am him with a finger. It was terrifying. She was naught but a child, eleven year old at the most, am had such a slender little body, but it was terrifying. Who knew what she could do to him? What she could make her people do?

"I am sorry." He squeaked, and turned his head away, but the tirade continued. He didn´t need to understand French to know she wasn´t saying anything good for him. "I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry."

After minutes that may as well have been eternity, her voice softened somewhat. He raised his head, hesitantly, knowing that he was going to regret it and that he had to do it all the same. As he feared, her shirt was still unbuttoned, but his attention was quickly draw to the stick she held him her hand. A moment later, she started signing or at least seemed to, waving the stick around like a baton for a few seconds and then pointed it and him. A cloud of dust kicked up, making him cough and reflexively closed his eyes. When he felt clean air again or thought he did, he opened its eyes.

"What the…" He hacks out a cough. "What the fuck was that?"

"Language, commoner! That's no way to speak in the presence of a noble… wait, you speak Halkagenian? S-so you were only feigning not understanding me, you stupid dog! I…"

"Halkagenian? A-are you not speaking English right now?"

"I don't even know what that is, idiot. And if you are telling the truth, explain why I can understand… oh, oh."

"What?"

"Nothing. Shut up, commoner. "She said, and crossed her arms am her nonexistent chest. "And don't take that tone with me. Call me master."

"Ok, master." He said, swallowing the response she really deserved. "But shouldn´t I at least know your name, why I am here and things like that?"

She gave him a cross look, but nodded.

"That is reasonable, yes. Listen well, commoner: My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc De La Vallière, and you are my familiar. Normally a familiar is a mage´s protector…" He wanted to say what, but didn´t, just remained silent while she looked and him up and down. "But you are only a commoner; even a crow is too much for you. So you stay with me, work for me, do what can you can do and no more. Do you understand?"

Paul nodded, slowly, but he only understood that she was crazy and everyone else here was surely crazy too.

"Good. Come here." He sat up and closed the distance between then, incredulous that she hadn´t buttoned up her shirt yet. "Undress me."

He flinched.

"Come again?" She frowned.

"You heard me; undress me. Nobles don't undress themselves with a servant available. My nightgown is the bottom drawer of the closet. When you finish, take it and dress me with it. Understand?"

"Y-yes, I understand." Paul looked down. He could see her nipples, and while that was so even am a distance, this was something else entirely, something shockingly intimate, dirtily welcome. He could touch them, he realized, give them a good squeeze just by reaching a little, and she only looked at him like he was a lamppost or a sign or something like that. Like it all was natural. The thought almost made him sick, but he sucked it up and slid the shirt off of her shoulder and down to the floor.

"What's with your look?"

"Sorry, m-master. I am not accustomed to this."

"I suppose I can forgive you, this time. " Louise said. "Get on with it."

He nodded, knelled and pulled down the zipper of her skirt, making it slide down to the floor. He very carefully didn´t think that she was wearing only panties and stockings, went to the closet, and rummaged around the bottom drawer until he found a nightgown and took it.

"Is this one okay?"

"All of my nightgowns are of the same design, familiar. It hardly matters. Come on."

He nodded, went back, and helped her slid into the nightgown, trying not to think of the felling of her skin on his hand nor that this was the most intimate he had be with a girl since his ex. When they were finished, she pulled the hem of the nightgown down.

"Good work." She said, and to his surprise it didn´t sound forced at all. "By the way, familiar, what is your name? Not that I care, but as your master I should know."

"My name is Paul Davis, master." She nodded, turned away and climbed into the bed, covering herself with the mattress to her neck.

"You can sleep on the pile of hay." Paul hands clenched at his sides, but whatever thoughts crossed trough his mind it was only a moment. "I expect you to wake up a little after dawn, and send the uniform too wash. The servant staff can and will give you directions, so ask them if you get lost. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, master." He said, as she closed her eyes. Then he went to this little corner, skirting around the uniform on the floor, and sat down on the hay. It was soft, but uncomfortable and surely unhealthy. Still, he had no choice. That Louise could make the tide sallow him if she wanted, so he would do what he had to do. He laid himself on the hay, accommodated as best as he could and closed its eyes.

He couldn´t sleep. It was quiet, but he couldn´t sleep, for the sound was him his head. He remember his mother, her warm smile even while she was irritated with him for one reason or another, his home that was not a palace but it was home, and its father that did everything he could do-both did, really. He remembered too much, and went misty eyed, so he turned towards the wall and tried too not make a noise. He couldn´t do anything about the crying, but a least his self-proclaimed master couldn´t see him like that.


	2. Blood and Iron

**Chapter 2**

_Blood and Iron_

Somehow and finally, he had fallen sleep. He could fell the grogginess, and see the first rays of sunlight peeking out for the window. He didn´t remember dreaming anything, but that was just as well; he couldn´t have be anything good. Paul rubbed his eyes, and waked himself up, vaguely remembering that he had to do to something. He sat up, looked around the room and noticed the pile of clothes on the floor. That was it. He had to send the uniform to wash. He picked then up with one arm, took a big breath and leaved the room. He had no idea where he was going, or where he was, but it was morning, so the servants should be cleaning this place. It couldn´t be hard to bump into one.

There were only rows of doors in the hallway, but even though he feared to hear the crack of a wooden door and see one of those lunatics come out, he turned the corner without hearing a sound or seeing anybody. He fell stupid. Louise had ordered him to send her clothes to wash and then wake her up, not the other way around, so it was not a pressing matter. That implied some kind of schedule, and that with the whole uniforms thing didn´t make it hard to see that this was institution of some sort-likely the way they were indoctrinated into the sect or whatever all of this was. So he had nothing to fear. For now, at least.

He turned a few corners and walked down some stairways before he found a servant, a maid in the middle of a hallway, knelling besides some kind of sculpture and dusting in off, humming.

"Excuse me, Miss?" She didn't seem to notice, just went on with her work. Paul loudly cleared its throat, but it didn´t work. "Miss?"

She perked up, turned her head towards him, sent down the duster and stood up, brushing some dirt off her skirt.

"Sorry, milord, I was distracted… You are not a noble."

"No."

"It was not a question."

"I know."

She fidgeted in place.

"Sorry, really, yesterday wasn´t a good day for me and I still kind of pissed off, but I didn´t want to make this awkward. Commoners like us have to stick together." She noticed the clothes, and blushed very noticeably. "Are you a pervert or something?"

"No. I am…" He was about to say kidnapping victim, but didn´t. "I am a familiar. Those are my master's clothes; she sent me to have her uniform washed, but I don't even know where to go or how to get there, so I thought you could give me directions."

"Ah, so you are Miss Vallière´s familiar, sorry about that…"

"Wait, how do you know?"

"The staff talked a lot about Valliére´s summoning. She was the first one to take that many tries, and summon a human instead of some kind of animal, so it was a juicy topic. We take can we can get. " Summoning, she said. Great. Even the common people were crazy. "Anyways, don't worry about the clothes. Just leave them to me."

"Are you sure? I mean, you are at work and I don't want to brother you needlessly."

"That's sweet of you." She smiled, at it made him that it could be great if she was five years younger or hell, even tree. "But it won't get in trouble or something off the sort for taking a five minute break, at the most. Trust me."

Paul nodded, and the maid took the clothes off his arm.

"Have a nice day."

"You too." She turned, and Paul watched her go down the halfway and turning the corner. He signed, and leaved.

* * *

><p>Paul had arrived. He had retraced his steps without too much trouble, and while he saw two or three of those uniformed kids of the hallways, they all gave him a wide berth, so it was all right, am he hadn´t be sure if he could find Louise´s room, but he saw a plaque with her name on a door, so even that had been needless worry. He thought about knocking first, just in case she had waked up on her own, but he didn´t think she could have sprout a sense of decency in the time he had been gone, so he just opened the door, entered and closed it behind him. He could see her head poking out of the mattress, and noticed she wasn´t moving, so he walked to her bedside and looked down at her.<p>

"Master, is time to wake up." She stirred beneath the mattress, but nothing more. "Wake up, Master!"

She grumbled cutely, and turned around in her sleep. If they hadn´t talked last night, he could have thought she was pulling its leg. Paul carefully considered its options, grabbed her by the shoulder and shook her.

"Wake up, Master! Master, Master, Master!" She slowly opened its eyes and yawned.

"Oh, is already morning." She said, clearly but not loud, and stood up on the bed. "The uniform is on the closet, familiar."

Rather than complain, he obeyed, opened the closet, took the pieces of the uniform and the shoes one by one in his arms, went back to her and put the clothes on the bed. He helped her out of her nightgown, put the shirt on her and buttoned it, then put the skirt around her waist, trying not to look but looking all the same, zipped it up, put the shoes on her feet, wrapped the mantle around her neck and tied the nook. She went towards the door, and even thought Paul wanted to ask where she was going and what he was supposed to do he though better off it and followed behind her as she left the room without even acknowledging him.

* * *

><p>A tall, tanned girl with the top two buttons of her shirt unbuttoned got in their way in the middle of the hallway. Rather that wonder what she wanted, he only wondered if decency was not in their dictionary. She grinned.<p>

"Good morning, Louise." She said, chirpily, and Louise stopped, frowning.

"Good morning, Kirche."

"So that is your familiar, eh?" Paul clenched its fits.

"Yes."

"Ah, it's so like you to summon a commoner with 'Summon Servant'. What else to expect from Louise the Zero?"

Louise crossed her arms at her chest, and gave no other reaction, but he knew she was near her breaking point.

"Really, if you're going to have a familiar, it should be a good one, like this. Flame!" A thing came out to her side for a half opened door, red with bright yellow eyes, teeth that looked too sharp and a tail in flames. Paul took a step back. He could feel the heat, light but still there, so he couldn´t just hand wave the impossibility away. A bolt of horror ripped his away into his heart, remembering last night´s conversation with Louise, her explanation, and then he shoved the possibility away. It had some kind of explanation, just one he didn´t know.

"A salamander." Louise stated, bitterly.

"That's right! But Flame is special even among salamanders. A flame this vivid and large means he is from the Fire Dragon Mountains. Collectors can't even put a price on then!"

"Nice." She drawled out, and Paul could just about hear her teeth chattering. He had do to something or she was going to lose it, really lose it, and good knows who she could take it out off, so he found its mouth moving nearly without realizing it:

"I could kill him." Both women looked towards him-Kirche with her eyes bulged, and Louise expressionless. "All it takes is sitting on him and choking him; hell, dropping something heavy on him could squash him like a bug. Even if I can´t take him by surprise this thing can´t possibly breathe fire as long or as well as dragons, so evading could be simple and while his teeth are sharp by the time he could bite me I could already have my arms around its throat. So even if you are so childish as to brag so blatantly, at least do it with reason. This thing is just another animal."

Kirche huffed, and laughed haughtily, but it was plain to see that is stupid mouth running session had shaken her.

"I guess the Zero´s familiar couldn´t be expected to understand. I'll be off now." She turned away, and disappeared past the next corner. They stood there, in silence, for a moment. Then:

"Familiar?"

"What do you want, Master?"

"Thank you. Don't get any ideas, is not like I can´t defend myself, but you did like a Familiar is supposed to do, at that deserves a reward. So, good work."

"Thank you, Master."

"Don't mention it." She said and started walking. Paul followed behind her.

Paul wanted to take note of the route for the time he was confident enough to try an escape, but every marble hallway with the rows off doors started blending into each other by the first few minutes. For him, they may as well have been walking in circles until they passed a door to a courtyard, so green it was nearly blinding. There were teenagers sitting on chairs, with those beasts at their side or on their laps, with maids and butlers going back and forth the desks without a care. The whole field was encapsulated in dark, tall walks of stone, like it was some kind of castle-at maybe it was. Could he just simply sneak off in the night and walk through the door? It didn´t seem likely.

"Familiar." Paul nearly jumped, and turned towards her. "What were you staring at?"

"Ah, sorry, master. It just… this place is so beautiful I got distracted." He bit his lip, embarrassed to even have said such a thing, but it was the first thing which was not the truth that had passed through his mind.

"I suppose your awe is understandable, so I forgive you." She said, and nodded. Paul couldn´t help but stare, incredulous she actually took such a cheesy thing in stride. "But don´t do it again. Being easily distracted is unbecoming of a familiar."

"Yes, master. I am sorry." He gratefully said, at that was what he hated most of all-on the top of everything else, of taking him away for his life, she made him grateful to these scraps of kindness. But he had to remember: he was a bird in her cage, just a bird in her cage and no more than that.

She leaded him away for the courtyard, and to what could only be a dining hall, with large tables and plates full off food, and one of those ancient lamps hanging for the ceiling. It was packed to the brim, at that made him nervous but he followed anyway. Louise stopped near next to an empty chair, and even thought it took it a moment to realize why she wasn´t sitting down, he did. He pulled the chair out for her, and she sat down. Looking down at all that food made his stomach turn.

"Uh, master?"

"Yes?"

"Can I eat?"

"There's a bowl next to my seat, for you." Paul looked down. There was a bowl on the floor, next to the seat, where a few scraps of meat and floated in thin soup at hard looking bread on the edge. He sat down cross legged, in front of the bowl, trying not to think too much about it or if even was healthy. Food was food. "You can have this, too."

Paul looked at her. She was holding at plate full of food, which she placed near his bowl.

"You behave like a familiar should, so you deserved this."

"Ah. Thank you, master." He didn´t know what else to say.

"Think nothing of it, familiar." She replied, and turned to eat. There was some kind of prayer, about a Founder Brimir and the Queen, but Paul didn´t pay much attention to it. He didn´t really want to find out of the soup tasted, so he started with the plate, taking a piece of roasted chicken first. He had to pelt it off with his teeth, but aside for that it all right. Soon enough he finished the plate, at turned towards the dingy bowl. He raised the bowl to his lips, seeing the brownish soup and the meat and drinking it anyway. It tasted horrible. He took the bread, and bit into it, nearly shattering its teeth and it wasn´t any better on the way down. He had too discreetly hit his chest more than once to not choke on the fucking bread.

When Louise stood up, he followed her out of the dining hall. She stopped, and he stopped with her.

"Due to the Springtime Familiar Summoning, there are no classes today. You can consider this your free time, thought if I need you I am going to call on you. I'll be in my room."

"I understand, master." She nodded, and walked away.

He had wandered through the courtyard since she had left, not really doing anything but looking for chances to escape. Unfortunately he could see a lot of trees, which indicated a forest, which indicated that he was probably at a big distance for the nearest city, so he didn't fell brave enough to run, leaving aside that the main entrance was indeed locked. He felt vaguely sick soon after, and he had to stop, so he leaned against the nearest wall, hand am its chest.

_I won't throw up... won't throw up... won't throw up, _Paul thought urgently, almost maddeningly. He didn´t think he could puke, but he felt vaguely sick and he didn´t want to take any chances. Food was food, even the food on that bowl, and Louise could probably take him puking as an offense, because who else but her had made sure the food was there? So he held it all down. When the thought began to lose its urgency, he separated for the wall. He didn´t fell that good, but he was not trembling or anything like that either. He could deal with this, all right. Paul walked away. Soon after, he heard raised voices, and stopped to listen.

"You said I was-"

"Please listen to me, is all-"

"I didn't do anything-"

"-Is the maid´s fault."

"-Please."

It was not much, but enough to know it was an argument. Perhaps it was better if he walked in another direction, just in case, but he soon set that idea aside. It seemed childish worrying, mostly. He could just walk in there and pretend he wasn´t seeing anything. No need to worry. He turned the next corner.

Paul froze.

It was the maid off this morning, cowered and looking at the ground while a two girls and a blonde boy argued between themselves. The boy was waving some kind of package around, pointing at the maid.

"It's all a misunderstanding-"

"You told me you wanted my soufflé, that…-"

"I accompanied her on a trip to La Rochelle and nothing more."

"What?"

"I could never betray you, Montmorency. I love you."

"Shut up, you are just a liar!" Montmorency sneered, at stormed off.

"Sir Guiche, how could do that to me?" The other girl said, and covered her head with her hands.

"No, Kathie listen to me. Is not…" Guiche said with a suave tone, reaching towards her with his hands, but she just ran away, sobbing. He watched her go, stunned, and then turned towards the maid, eyes bulging and red faced. "It's your fucking fault!"

The maid nearly jumped, but nothing else. Paul didn´t like that, she was the only one to treat him like a real human being, but he couldn´t really help her and it was not like anything serious could happen. Surely, the faculty could break it up if anything even got started.

"I am sorry." She said, clearly but not loud. "I am sorry…"

Then Guiche punched her in the face, and she fell to the ground, a hand on red cheek. She closed her eyes, and shook quietly, while he loomed over, his expression twisted in rage. The kids on the other tables turned to look, and suddenly this part of the courtyard was in silence.

"What the hell, Guiche?" Someone shouted, but it was lost in the commotion.

"I am sorry, I am sorry…"

"If you had kept your mouth shut, like a commoner should, this couldn´t have happened!"

"I am sorry, I am sorry…"

"Shut up!" He screamed, and kicked her in the stomach. She cried out, doubled over and started sobbing. Paul ran towards them, trying not to think about what he was doing and what could happen, just concentrate in getting there because this was too much. "Just shut up! Is your fault anyway, you _maid_. "

Guiche pulled his leg back again then, but he hesitated for a second when he heard him coming, so he reached him in time to grab him by the shoulders, steep on his foot, and thrown him away for her. He crashed against the table, throwing all to the ground and breaking it in half. He watched him for a moment, lying on the broken table among pieces of glass, stunned, while the people around him screamed, frozen or backed away. He didn´t mean for it to happen.

He shook himself out of his stupor, knelled in front of the maid and placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Paul whispered, rather lamely. She looked at him nearly gaping, her every twitch making painfully clear that she was hurt, but gave no other response. "I-is going to be okay."

He carefully helped her stand up, making sure she was in the least amount of pain possibly but all too aware that Guiche didn´t hit her much but sure as hell hit her good.

"_Commoner_." Paul turned to look as Guiche pick himself up the wreck, its white shirt torn up and drenched with something that could be coffee. "How dare you! I k…I-I challenge you to a duel."

"Fine, whatever you want." He answered without a shaking voice, because such a thing didn´t matter anymore; he was already fucked. "Just leave her alone."

"Make some space!" Guiche screamed, at the others kinds stepped back, making a circle around them, and then he put a hand at his pocket. Paul tensed up, thinking it was gun but when he took it out it was only an artificially looking rose. While he incredulously looked at him, Guiche waved the rose around, singing in a language he didn't´ understand. He shook himself out of his stupor, and prepared to charge him to the ground before he could really star doing anything.

"Stop!" Paul froze. It was Louise voice. He followed her voice, and saw her making her way through the crowd. "Just stop!"

The singing stopped, and he fell the ground stir beneath his feet. He somehow managed to maintain is balance until the shaking stopped.

"No, Guiche! Stop already!" Paul turned to see whatever the hell he was doing right now, at froze. A woman in armor wielding a lance appeared out of the earth, and stood in front of Guiche. Just like that, like it was even possible. When he tried to deal with what was in front of his eyes, the thing moved and before he could think how to react he felt a hot, sharp pain in his stomach, and fell backwards tasting blood. When he hit the ground he was only barely aware of the screams and spitting out blood, while he tried to get back up and run or anything at all. He saw stockings, a short skirt and felt soft hands hold his face.

"S-stop already, y-you are bleeding, can´t you see you are bleeding?" He managed to sit up, somehow, supporting himself with a hand against her shoulder and another in the ground.

"Stand away, _Zero_."

"S-shut up, he had enough." Paul saw the blur that had become that armored woman approaching. "Listen to me!"

"Just this is not going to cut it. _Stand back_." Paul pushed Louise away, or at least tried to, but she barely even moved. Its forced was going with his life. Such thought that was, really.

"No!"

"You have not right to interfere in a duel, so stand back." Paul whipped the blood for his lips with the back of his hand.

"T-this is on you, not me." He said, and smiled shakily. The blur stopped suddenly, and trusted her hand out, driving the spear into his chest and through the other side. Paul looked down as in a daze, and saw the spear in his chest, coated with blood, vaguely aware of Louise´s scream and the scrambling of the crowd. He felt on its side, numb, while the blood polled on the ground.

"Someone get a healer!"

"How could you-"

"I didn´t mean to, I didn´t mean-"

"I-it was a-already over, y-you bastard, i-it was already over."

"-to, I didn´t mean to, I didn't mean to."

Paul raised his hands and grasped the handle of the spear, blood and at all, and its mind cleared, the pain stopped and he felt like he could stand up. He pulled the spear back slowly, without making a sound, and stood up. Louise looked up at him, misty eyed, as he swung the spear towards the armored woman and took her head clean off. It fell to the grass, rebounded and stopped against a tree. The rest of the body shattered against the ground. Guiche looked towards him, rose shaking him its hand. Pual went towards him.

"Stay back!" Guiche stretched, waved his rose around and petals fell, becoming identical armored woman when they hit the ground. One ran towards him and he knocked her aside with his spear, dodged a blow for the second and stabbed her through the chest. Guiche seemed looked in place, despite the obvious terror on its face. When he was close enough to feel his breath, Guiche made to wave his rose but he grabbed his wrist, twisted it and head butted him. Guiche felt to the ground on its back, whimpering and Paul stranded him, raising his spear above his head.

_Itskillorbekilledkillorbekilleddon´tthinkabouit_

He stabbed Guiche near the heart with all of its strength. He gasped and writhed around, blood spilling for his mouth. He pushed the handle through his chest, and watched as his moves became weak and his eyes glazed over. When Guiche stopped moving, he tore the spear for his chest.

"Kill or be killed." Paul muttered while the spear shook him his grip and the pain slowly returned. The spear slipped between is fingers, and he fell to the side, breathing heavily. His eyes rolled back into his head.


	3. If I Cried Out

**Chapter 3**

_If I Cried Out_

Paul opened his eyes.

He saw a white, spotless ceiling and for a moment, his heart soared, thinking that everything at only be a nightmare after all. Then he sat up him the bed, looked around the room, and realized that this was not his room. Bottles of strange liquids, that burbled as if alive, were lined up in desks and closets. It didn´t make sense. He was alive, he was fine but… something had happened, right? He put a hand at his brow, as he fell the beginning of a headache.

Something. He had done something incredible stupid because of a maid who actually treated him like a human being, and he had gotten stabbed thought the chest, so why he was alive? He pulled down the covers and slowly lifted his shirt. At first, he couldn´t believe what he seeing, then he swallowed his bile. Its skin near the heart was a mess, nothing but scar tissue. It happened. But how was he alive? If I had happened, that also means that the thing which suddenly appeared in the field had been real. So, maybe he had been literary saved by magic.

But, wait. He had the sense he was forgetting something else. The fight didn´t just end like that, he had ki… the headache grew stronger, suddenly, and he put the other hand at its brow, forgetting the line of his thoughts. It receded slowly, and by the time the pain had disappeared, he was just glad. Then there was a crack, a bag, and he froze. He didn´t know why, but he did.

"Oh." Paul turned towards the voice. It was a nurse, standing by door. She turned her heard back. "He is already awake, Miss Valliere."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Yes, of course. Come in." She said, and a second later Louise walked past the nurse, and entered the room. "I have to go."

Then, she closed the door, leaving Paul watching helplessly as Louise walked to its bedside, and sat down at the chair. She opened her mouth, closed and just staring at him for more than a minute. Then, she said:

"Why did you do it?"

"W-what?"

"What you did to Guiche. H-he hurt you, I know that, but he was d-defenseless." It suddenly was like it appeared in front of his eyes, an image of him with a gaping wound of the chest stranding Guiche and stabbing him through the heart. He swallowed, heavily.

_Itskillorbekilledkillorbekilleddon´tthinkabouit_

"H-he already tried to kill me once, so it was k-killing or be killed, master."

"I s-suppose I can understand that." She said, clearly but not loud, looking away for him. She breathed heavily, at looked at him at the eye. "Anyways, you think you can walk?"

"Maybe, master. I am not in pai…" He cut himself out, realizing where this was going. "Why?"

"The headmaster asked me to lead you into his office, in you could walk, familiar." She frowned. "Are you worried?"

"O-f course, master. I mean, I was not w-wrong, h-he nearly killed me, but… they can´t just let me get off the hook, right?"

"I don't know what will happen." She signed. "But you w-will have the full support of the Valliere family, regardless."

"Ah. Thank you, master."

"Is just my responsibility, so don´t thank me." She brushed some of her air out of her eyes, and nodded. "Well, let's go, familiar."

Paul got up out the bed, and followed her out the room.

* * *

><p>The door closed behind them with an ominous crack.<p>

It was a small room, sparsely decorated, with a big desk nearly pressed against a glass window with a view of the courtyard. Sitting on a chair, there was an old man with a long grey beard and the same bald adult of the field, staring at them. No, more like staring at _him_. Paul fidgeted in place.

"Well." The one with the beard said, probably the headmaster. "Why so serious? Please, take a seat."

"Ah, okay, sir." Paul responded, followed Louise to the desk, and sat down. For the corner of his eyes, he saw Louise crossing her hand primly in her lap.

"My name is Osmond, and I am the headmaster. This here-" He nodded towards the bald adult. "-Is Professor Colbert. Now, we have already hear Miss Valiere´s side of the story when you were unconscious, so tell us, why?"

"W-what, sir?" He sent him at harsh look.

"Why is Guiche de Gramont´s body in the morgue?"

"I-it was not my fault. You saw it; he tried to kill me first. It was kill or be killed."

"Are you saying you regret it?"

"I…" He winced. "It was kill or be killed. There was nothing I could do."

Osmond looked at him in silence, for a long while, only tapping his desk with a finger. Paul caught Louise looking at him for the corner of his eye, once, but she said nothing.

"Fine, then. Why did this duel come to past, young man?"

"He was…hitting a maid, sir…"

"What?" Colbert said, making him wince.

"He was hitting a maid. I don´t why, exactly, but he was. I saw him. Everybody did. I am not lying." Paul breathed heavily. "He was… you know… so I stopped him, and pushed him back and I accidentally sent against the desk and the desk broke in half, so… So he got mad. D-do I have to continue?"

"Yes."

"S-something appeared, kind of a woman in armor, behind me while I was looking at Master, who had appeared then. I turned back, and it hit me and nearly killed me. Master try to make him stop, but he didn´t listen. He even threatened Master. I said… I said this is on you, not me and that thing stabbed me in the chest with the lance. I… grabbed the lace, tore it for my chest, got up, broke two more of t-these thing and I-I killed him." His stomach churned.

"How were you capable of defeating three bronze golems with such ease? Did you receive training?

"I don´t know. I-I never held a weapon in my life." Colbert and Osmond exchanged looks. "I-I know it sounds crazy, but I am not lying."

"Uh, headmaster." Louise spoke up, and both of them turned towards her. "Could this have something do with the powers of a familiar?"

Osmond stroked his bear.

"Why, yes. It was only a theory until now, but the engravings of his branding runes do suggest that they grant the familiar weapon expertise." So, magic. It hit him again that this was really happened, that the crazy people were not so crazy. That is home could be…

"But why? I-I mean, all the familiar have be animals, and animals can´t use weapons, so why could there be runes for that?"

"We don´t know, but the facts are proof enough. For example…" Then he moved, grabbed a bottle, set it down and the table and rolled it towards him. "Grab the bottle, young man."

Paul hesitantly picked up the bottle, and then noticed a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. He looked down. There was a green tattoo on his hand, and it was glowing. The bottle almost slipped out of his fingers.

"So it's true, the Gandálfr…" Colbert said, then stopped and coughed loudly. "It even actives with no weapons. Fascinating."

"This…This is all well and good, but…"

"Yes?" Osmond said.

"Was going to happen to me?"

"Well, you accepted the duel so it was official. Legally, the Gramont family can´t not do much, considering that. But…" Osmond shrugged. "There are too many factors in this, so I can really promise you anything. And considering you are not a noble, just a commoner, then maybe…"

"B-but a familiar is an extension of the mage." Louise interrupted. "That´s the law. That he is a commoner doesn´t matter."

"Oh, child." Osmond smiled weakly. "Those kinds of things always matter."

"E-even so, everybody knew Guiche try to kill him first. It was his fault. You can´t just take my familiar away for me."

"Is not about me or anything. I believe this young man was not totally in the wrong, but, like I said, there are too many factors. I can´t make promises."

"He an officially a familiar of the Valliere house, and he is capable. Mother will back me up. The Gramont´s won´t dare to do anything."

Paul fidgeted in his seat.

"Maybe, maybe not. We will see." Osmond said, stroking his bear. "Well. You are free to go."

Louise stood up, said her farewells, and went out of the room, Paul following her.

* * *

><p>When they came into the room, it was like the earth had stood still. Every head in the room turned towards them, and there was silence. Some of the students even looked green faced.<p>

"Professor Chevreuse, I am sorry for the delay, but we were with the headmaster."

"Ah, don´t worry, Miss Valliere. I was already informed." She smiled, shakily. "Please, take a seat."

"Yes, Professor." Louise said, and then there was a loud, banging sound.

"Wait!" Paul turned towards the voice. A blond girl with curled hair had stood up for, the same girl that had be there and the courtyard. "Why is that thing still here? He killed Guiche!"

It was like the levee had broken; murmurs rose for the rows of seated students, and more of them stood up.

"-It has no right to be here."

"-Is unforgivable."

"-How can the headmaster-"

"Go away."

"Just let it go?"

Out of nowhere, red clay appeared in the mouths of various student´s, silencing them and everyone else stopped, cowed. Paul looked back, just to be sure. Like he thought, Chevreuse was holding a stick made of wood, with a severe expression.

"Silence! That is not for you to decide; whatever happens, happens, but in this classroom you all will act like the nobles you are supposed to be, or I will talk to the headmaster."

"But, Professor…"

"No buts. Shut up." Chevreuse breathed, heavily. "Miss Valliere, please take a seat."

Louise nodded, started walking again, and Paul followed her. She sat down on an empty seat, and Paul sat on the ground near her.

"Now, let's continue the lesson." Chevreuse said. "Most of you seem to be really incapable even of basic Earth spells, so we will start for the most basic and simple on to build foundations, the transmutation spell. Only those with absolutely no affinity to Earth Magic should be capable of failing the transmutation; at least, if you get the visualization part right."

She opened her right hand, letting a few pebbles fall to her desk.

"I shall make a demonstration, first." She said, and then twirled her wand over the pebbles, murmuring something. The pebbles glowed for a bit, and when the light dimmed away, there were only lumps of metal. "See? Now, as for volunteers… Miss Valliere, if you please?"

Louise opened her mouth, closed it, and fidgeted on her seat.

"Miss Vallière! Is something the matter?"

"Professor…" Somebody said.

"Yes?"

"I think it could be better if you don´t let her. Is, well, dangerous…" What the hell was that guy saying?

"I know of her history, but that doesn´t matter. Is just transmutation. Besides, she deserves a chance." She turned towards Louise. "Now, Miss Vallière. Don't you worry, just try it."

"Yes, professor." She said, stood up and walked up to the front of the room. When she was in front of Chevreuse, she nodded and waved her wand around, muttering something. She stooped muttering, and pointing her wand and the pebbles.

The pebbles exploded.

Chevreuse just took a step back due to the force of the blast, but Louise dropped back to the ground, the black board was nearly torn for the wall and the ground seemed to shake. He had to grab the desk to not fall down.

"Well, that was…" Chevreuse said, in a weak voice, and coughed.

Louise stood up slowly.

"Sorry, Professor." She said, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe soot off her face. "I messed up."

"Yeah, right-"

"Your success rate is always zero!"

"-like you messing up is new!"

* * *

><p>Chevreuse and the students left the classroom, and they were made to stay back to clean it up as punishment, without using any kind of magic. He had ended up doing all the work, while Louise leaned against a wall, arms crossed, seething in rage, so it had taken it hours, but at least he was finally finished. He signed, and went to Louise.<p>

"Master?"

"What?" She sneered. "Have you come to complain why you are the familiar of such a worthless master? Have you come to mock the zero?"

"O-of course not, master." Paul winced. "Is just… I have finished cleaning, master."

"R-really?" She looked up at him, and he noticed she was nearly about to cry. "I-I mean, just forget what I said, familiar."

She walked past at him, and Paul grabbed her shoulder almost reflexively. Louise turned towards him, wordlessly. It seemed so hard to hate her, even after everything, when she had that kind of face .

"You are not worthless, master. T-that you make mistakes doesn´t mean anything. Everybody does. You just have to keep at it, and one day you will make it."

"Uh." She crossed her arms. "It´s not like I have to get cheered up by my familiar or anything, idiot. I am perfectly fine. Let´s go, familiar."

"Yes, master." He responded, and followed her out of the classroom.

The last two classes were uneventful. Louise was not volunteered again, so there had been nothing to clean up, and she answered all the questions for the professor correctly. There had not been another outburst for the students, either. When classes were finished for the day, Louise send it away and told him she was going to be in her room, so he took the time to go ask around the kitchens staff for that maid. It took him a bit to get to even get to the courtyard, and some more time to find the dining hall, but he was finally here. He knocked at the door of the kitchen, and waited.

"I am coming!" Someone said, and seconds later the door opened, by a man as thick as a tree trucks and a big smile. "What do you… go away."

"W-what? P-please, just listen to me. I want to know if..." Paul winced. He didn´t even know her name. "If the maid of yesterday is all right."

"Physically? Yes, of course. But she is not all right; she is never going to be. No, go away already, boy."

"Why?"

"Look." He breathed, heavily. "I appreciated what you did, really. If you had not showed up, Founder knows what that noble could have done to her, and finally some noble is put in their place. But you killed him. We can´t afford to associate with you. Commoner´s already have it hard as it is. So go away."

Paul clenched its fists.

"I am going." He said, nearly choking up. Damn it. "You don't have to tell me again."

He turned around, and walked away.

* * *

><p>By the time he was out of the courtyard, he had gotten himself under control. He settled down on an empty beach, and looked and the scenery while waiting for Louise to call him. But still, every time he thought about what just happened made him feel sick. What that man said made sense; of course it did, but that didn´t matter. He had nearly gotten killed because he gave a fuck about the maid, and now that chef or whatever he was treated him like that, without even a thank you or something? Ah, that was what he deserved, really, for being such an idiot.<p>

"Seat?" Paul looked up. There was a blue haired little girl, in front of him.

"What d-do you mean, miss?"

"Seat?" She repeated, and nodded towards the beach.

"Ah, uh, yes. Miss." She nodded, and sat down, looking at him in silence.

Paul fidgeted.

"Uh, so, why are you here, miss?"

"You. Threat?"

"W-what?"

"Threat?"

"I-I could never hurt…" Paul stopped. "I mean, I…"

While he was trying to find an answer that could not sound like bullshit, the girl nodded.

"Understood. Again?"

"What do you… no, no, no I could not do that again." She nodded, looked away and stood up. "Wait."

She turned towards him.

"What was this about?"

"Meaningless." She said, and shook her head. "You don´t have the eyes of a killer."

She walked away, and Paul watched her go.


	4. Death by Water

**Chapter 4**

_Death by Water_

There was a crack and a bang. Paul turned around, and saw Louise entering the room, fuming. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and crossed her arms.

"Master?"

"What!" Paul flinched.

"Uh, what happened, master?"

"What happen? What happen is…" She breathed heavily. "No, no, anger is unbecoming of a noble. Is just…the headmaster has prohibited me to participate in the Familiar Exhibition."

"What is that, master?"

"Is it not obvious? Is a contest between familiars. I have dreamed of this chance since I was a kid, of getting a magnificent familiar and winning. I even bought a sword for you. I mean is still useful, of course, but it was thinking of impressing even the Princess. And now, I cannot even try. It all seems like a bad joke."

"Why…" He wanted to ask what did she say about a Princess, and why could one come to a talent show in a academy, but didn´t. "Why could the headmaster prohibit you…?"

"The Gramont´s, of course." She said, kicking her legs. "Like the majority of the student's families, they are going to be there for the exhibition. And the headmaster doesn´t want them to see you. He said it could be like rubbing Guiche´s death on their faces."

"I-I am sorry, mas…"

"Don't." She signed. "Just… don´t. Is not like is going to change anything, anyway. I just have to deal with it, like everything else… Ah, whatever. Is not like I had much of chance anyway. Just help me change. I need a good rest."

Paul sat up.

"Yes, master."

* * *

><p>Louise had left in her room, so he had opened the window. It gave a good view of the courtyard, and of the entrance gates, so the appearance of the Princess should be hard to miss. He waited, listening to what he could pick up of the students chatter. Sometime later, he saw it. There was a bright pink carriage with gold streaks between the tress. For this high it was all a blur, but he thought there were men two men on horses on either side of the carriage. It all made is desperate hope that he was still his is world pretty unlikely.<p>

The carriage came to a stop at the entrance doors for a little bit, until somebody opened, probably with more magic. It stopped again in the middle of the courtyard, and four avian creatures dropped down at its sides, with men on the top of them. Suddenly, the whole place was in silence. The door of the carriage was opened.

"Presenting her highness, Princess Henrietta de Tristain!" The soldiers on the creatures shouted, in a perfect chorus. A beautiful woman in a white dress with a long violet mantle stepped down, and behind her followed an old man with blue air. The two walked over the red carpet, and came to a stop in front of Headmaster Osmond.

"We are honored and humbled to have you here, your highness."

"The pleasure is mine, Headmaster." She said, and smiled warmly.

* * *

><p>The stage of the Familiar Exhibition was conveniently near, so he had gotten a quite good view of it all. For the most part, it had been like some pet contest, really. Mostly normal animals like cats and dogs doing things that could make the crowd go aww, instead of those outrageous animals he saw in the field when he was summoned. In fact, it was so normal that it was boring. The highlight on the day so far had be that redhead-Kirche or whatever her name was-making her salamander spit out rings of fire, and a dancing cat. He ended up looking more at the Princess that at the familiars, honestly.<p>

"So is it here?"

"Yes, mother." Before Paul could wonder whose mother it was, there was a crack. He turned around. Louise was on the doorway, with a strange expression, looking at him. It seemed like worry.

"What happened…?" He cut himself off. Behind Louise, a woman with pink hair, pink dress and a severe expression entered the room. "What's going on, Master?"

"My name is Karin Désirée, Duchess de la Valliere, Louise´s mother, familiar." She said, stoically. "Louise, leave us."

"W-what, mother, but…" She was being so meek now, that it almost seemed unlikely that this girl and the girl who bossed it around and treated him like a slave were the same.

"What did I say, Louise?"

"F-fine. I will go now, mother." She turned around, and walked away, closing the door behind her, locks at all, leaving then alone. Karin looked at him for a while, in silence. Then:

"How did it happen?"

"W-what?"

"The duel." Paul flinched. "How did it happen?"

"You see, I saw Guiche hitting a maid…" Karin eyes narrowed. "…And am first I thought I could let it past, that somebody could do something before it went too far, but nobody did so I ran and I pushed him. He fell against the table, it broke it half and… well, he got mad."

"Continue."

"Ah, this thing in bronze armor appeared suddenly, and it hit me. And then master was at my side and she tried to make Guiche stop, but he didn´t. He insulted her, told her she had no right to interfere, and even threatened her…" Karin scowled. "And I said… I said this is on you, not me, at that bronze thing stabbed me through the chest with a lance. I-I tore if for my chest, destroyed that thing at two more and I-I killed him."

"Why did you kill him?"

"A-ah, it was kill or be…"

"You could have let it go, but you didn´t. You chose to kill him. At that point, he surely was in no condition to fight-mentally or physically. And yet you kill him. Why? Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy stabbing the spear thought his chest?" Paul gulped. "Did you smile when he was trashing around, at your mercy? Did you? Tell me, did you? Did it felt good to kill him?"

"No, no, I a-am nothing like that."

"Yo better not be lying to me." Paul took a step back.

"I am no lying, I swear." Karin stared at him. Then, she nodded.

"My daughter told she had bought you a sword." He didn´t know why she changed the subject, but he didn´t care either. Thank god. "Where is it?"

"Is here, Duchess."

"Take it."

"W-what? Why?"

"I wish to test your skills. Take it."

Paul didn´t want to do it. The mess with Guiche had already been terrifying enough for him, at he had be barely conscious thought the whole fight, but it was not like he had a choice. He could not refuse her-not only because she scared him but because she was his master´s mother. So he opened the wardrobe, grabbed the case, opened it and took the sword it his sheath.

"Good. Follow me, fa…" She cut himself off. Paul wanted to ask her what happened, but didn´t dare. A minute later, or two, he heard repeated loud noises, almost like footsteps, and fell the floor shake beneath him. Karin nodded, picked him up it one arm, broke into a run and jumped through the window. Paul screamed.  
>He heard Karin mutter something as they grew closer to the ground, and then the fall slowed. Karin landed lightly on her feet, like she had not just jumped for six or seven meters and gently set him down. Paul breathed heavily, once, and then his knees gave up on him. That had been horrible. Then, he looked up.<p>

There was a giant monstrosity, made of rock, behind one of the academy's tower´s. On one of its shoulders, there was a hooded person, cape blowing in the wind. The thing drew is fist back, and hit the tower so hard the ground shook.

"Run away." Karin said. "You are just going to get in my way."

Paul stood up, turned around and ran. Right when he was about to make it, he saw Louise turning the corner, arms crossed, head held down. She heard it come, and looked up.

"Familiar, what are you doing?" Then, there was a deafening sound, like an explosion. Paul turned around. There was rumble in the field, with Karin uncaringly in the middle of it. He looked up at that thing, and saw it had no right arm. That rumble was want remained of it. "Mother…"

"-protect the princess!"

"Master, we have to go!"

"W-what, but…"

"Don´t worry, your mother is going to be fine. She is handling that thing perfectly. But we have to go, master."

"Shut up, shut up, just shut up! T-this is my chance. Mother will see…" She breathed heavily, and drew her wand for the pocked of her skirt, holding in with two hands like a sword. Then, she started muttering something unintelligible.

"Master, please, is want your mother wanted. Don´t do anything stupid." She stopped muttering, and aimed her wand over his head. A second later, there was another explosion. Paul turned around, its heart beating painfully against his chest. Karin was unfazed, like always, looking back towards them, but that tower now had a gaping hole in it, just as big as that monster's head.

"What did you do?" While she stood, shocked, the person on the thing´s shoulder jumped through the hole. Karin seemed to curse under her breath, and turned towards the golem again, just as it raised its other arm and slammed it down towards her. She brandished her wand, and the arm of the thing was slammed aside, burying it against a wall, while she took the chance to move away. "Run already!"

"B-but…" Paul grabbed Louise hand and ran for it, dragging her away.

* * *

><p>"So you are the ones that witnessed the thief." Osmond said, behind his desk, Colbert am his side. In the other side, Karin, Louise, Kirche, the blue haired girl and Paul were lined up in the other side. "Please, Karin, tell us about the even in deep."<p>

She stepped forward.

"I heard the noises the golem make while I was talking to my daughter's familiar, picked it up, jumped through the window and landed in the field. I fought it as best as I could, and it was barely holding together when the thief escaped carrying a black case. I tried to go after him, but I only found a big pile of dirt, and there were no traces to pursue."

"So… that is what happened…" Osman said while stroking his beard. "Ah, Jean, where is Miss Longueville?"

"I… I am not sure. I only saw her once, this morning."

"Ah, were…?" There was a crack, and a bag. Paul turned around. A woman with green hair rushed into the room, papers held under one arm.

"I am sorry, headmaster. I was doing some investigations…"

"Investigations?"

"Y-yes. I hear about the robbery so… In any case, according to the commoners around the area, they saw a person with a black hooded cloak entering an abandoned house in nearby forest." Longueville flinched. "I know is not much, but considering that we don´t have anything else…"

"Is worth checking it out, at least, right?"

"Yes."

"How far is it from here?"

"By foot it takes half a day, by horse it should only take four hours."

"Ah, I will organize a rescue party right away, then."

"No need, headmaster." Karin butted in. "We can dealt with it."

"We... Surely you are not thinking…?"

"Yes, that´s just what I am thinking."

"But…"

"These two here, can handle themselves just fine. I saw it personally. They won´t be a liability. Besides, I am more than enough for the thief. You know that, headmaster."

"Of course I know. How can I forget? But still, Karin…" Osmond signed. "Ah, it's true. Tabitha is a chevalier already, and Kirche is accomplished fire mage. I just wish you could have more… doubts. Anyway, take the familiar too."

"Are you sure?"

"Just trust me, Karin."

"Fine, then."

"Wait, what about me?" Louise said. Paul looked at her; it seemed like she was almost in tears.

"Silence."

"B-but...Yes, mother."

"Now, before you all go, step forward, young man." Osmond said, and suddenly every head in the room turned towards him.

"Yes, sir." He said, and walked to him. Osmond reached behind the desk, and put on a black box on the top. He opened, revealing a sword with a dirty sheath.

"Uh, I already have a sword."

"Oh, trust me, this one is special. Just for you, really." He took the seat and its runes glowed green again.

"Headmaster." Karin said. "I saw this earlier. Just want does it mean?"

"Well, Karin, that is the reason why you should take him with you." She looked at Osmond in for a moment, and then nodded.

"A user?" Paul looked around, searching for the voice. "Hey! Are your eyes just for decoration or what?"

He looked down.

"Did you just talk?"

"Yes, genius." The pommel of the sword moved up and down, like some kind of mouth. "I am a sentient, magical, intelligent sword. You may call me Lord Derflinger!"

"Headmaster, are you just going to give such a sword to a kid?"

"Hey! He is my wielder. You have no say in this matter…. Even if you are hot."

"What…" Karin´s eyes twitched. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"That he is the Gand…"

Osmond broke into an exaggeratedly loud, jarring laugh.

"He is just talking no sense. Ancient swords are like that, you know."

"Yes." Karin said. "Of course."

"Well, then." Osmond coughed. "Miss Longueville, could you ready the carriage and set the off right away, please?"

"Yes, headmaster."

* * *

><p>When Osmond had said carriage, Paul had expected an actual carriage-no as big or elegant as the one the Princess had come in, but somewhat close. But it was just cart with wooden planks as seats. He had ended up nearly against the wall, Kirche and the other side and Tabitha and Karin in the other. Longueville rode the carriage. Kirche spend the whole ride trying to make conversation with Longueville, for some reason, but nobody else talked even now, so it was rather awkward. Then, the carriage stopped.<p>

"We are here." Longueville said.

It was a clearing about as big as the academy´s courtyard, with a wooden, rundown house in the middle of it. He didn´t not hear anything but the rustle of the forest. Longueville remained on the carriage, and the rest disembarked and hid behind some bushes. Karin looked and Tabitha, and gave her some strange hand signals he did not understand. Tabitha simple nodded, and turned to Kirche.

"With me." She said.

Then, Karin moved out, and the rest followed. Paul hand twitched for the handle of Derflinger, but didn´t grab it just yet. If he was really Fouquet, and he was still there, the light of the runes could be too obvious. She stopped in front of the house, put at hear am the door for a moment, shook her head, and somehow opened the crusty old door without making a noise. More magic, obviously.

They searched the house. It looked normal, nothing out or out of place, but the inside was cared for. This had to be the thief´s hideout.

"Found it!" Kirche screamed. Paul turned around, and saw her waving a black box around. The rest all stopped and gathered around her.

"Loud." Tabitha said.

"Ah, come on."

"Too easy."

"Do you think…?" She yelped, and fell down on her knees to the floor. When he looked down, he saw that the earth beneath her feet had turned into sand, and wrapped itself around her legs. Tabitha knelled in front of her, and started muttering, waving her staff around.

"Le…Hurry!" Karin said, looking frantically to all sides. "This entire house…We can´t stay here any longer!"

Tabitha nodded.

"Partner, draw me!" He didn´t brother to ask why, he just did it. The runes burned brightly. "Listen, just hit the sand! I can drain the magic away!"

"Got it!" Paul stepped forward, and slashed low at the sand. The sword went clean through it, and Kirche stood up.

"Let´s…" The ground shook, and then they were all sent flying amid the rumble.


	5. Beyond the Trees

**Chapter 5**

_Beyond The Tress_

Paul groaned. There was darkness, and he felt a great weight pressed against him. He slowly opened his eyes, wincing all the while. There was a big piece of rock on the top of him, and he was nearly buried in rubble. His vision had a reddish tinge, and he saw that rock monstrosity towering over the forest.

"…partner?" For the corner of his eye, he saw the light of the runes. He had not lost Derflinger.

"I am fine." His hand tightened on its handle, and he used the other hand to push the rock aside, grunting. He turned around and crawled, careful not to cut himself with its edge, pushing rumble out of his way while explosions made the ground shake. Once, he had to put the sword down to push a rock with both hands, but he managed to crawl out to the field in time. He stood up, trying to ignore the dull ache of his body and turned around.

He saw Tabitha crouched, pointing her wooden staff am that monstrosity, while gusts of wind lashed out against the golem. Behind her, there was Kirche, unconscious, her forehead bleeding. In front of her, Karin brandished her wand and twirled around, avoiding the strikes of the golem and slamming them away alternatively, that black box in her left hand.

Paul´s hand tightened on the handle.

"What are you waiting for, partner?"

"Just…look at that. I am just me. How I supposed to get in the middle of this shit?"

"Take a step forward, another and another and eventually you will be in the middle."

"Is not that easy…"

"So _fucking_ what if it's not easy?" Paul flinched. "What are you going to do if these people die when you could have prevented it?"

Karin turned her head around, noticed him and nodded.

"Catch it!" She screamed, and threw the box up in the air. Paul took a step forward, flubbed around and somehow managed to grab the box with one hand. It was heavy. "Longueville has disappeared, so run, don´t look back! Don´t let Fouquet get his hands on the staff!"

Paul turned back, and ran for the tress.

* * *

><p>The wind picked up. Paul turned his head in the direction of the noise, as the branches and leaves fluttered in the wind. The ground shook so hard its knees trembled, and there was the sound cracking wood all around him. In a moment, the pressure ended and he could breathe again.<p>

"W-what the hell was that?"

"Very, very powerful magic." Derflinger whistled, somehow. "That woman is a real heavyweight… Anyway, keep on running, partner. Don´t waste time."

"Right." He nodded shakily, and took off again. Something on his knee, and he fell down on the ground. He groaned, and tried to stand up, but he fell down on the ground again and heard footsteps approaching. Paul looked up, and saw a hooded person with a cape and a wand him is hand. Fouquet, shit.

"You are the Gandálfr? You?" He took a step forward, and stepped on his wrist. Paul bit back a scream. The thief picked him up for the scruff of the neck, and started waving his wand around, muttering something unintelligible. Paul head-butted him; the thief staggered back and he stepped forward, holding Derflinger with both hands and swung it at the thief. The blade ripped through its shoulder, leaving a red neat, lean line. Fouquet hand went to his shoulder, and he pointed his wand at him.

"Partner! Down!" Paul jumping aside without thinking about it, and something went past him. There was a dull sound of impact, and has he got up again he saw a big, pointy rock stuck on a tree. He ran towards the thief. Fouquet started muttering something again, and pointed the wand am him like a gun. He saw another pointy rock, identical to the first one, blur past as him as he lowered his head. Before Fouquet could do anything else, Paul stabbed Derflinger through his stomach. The thief gasped, and his hands went to the sword. Then, he raised his wand.

"Partne…" Too late. Paul got caught on the blast, and fell to the ground. His ears rigged, and his vision was blackening.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck… how could I be this stupid?" Fouquet muttered, while he got closer to him. He saw the thief´s boots, and dark patches of blood on the ground. Then, Paul passed up.

* * *

><p>Paul stirred awake, on his knees, with something holding him by the scruff of his shirt. He was sore all over, and he felt a great weight on his wrists which was solid sand, wrapped around them like handcuffs. He saw Fouquet´s wand pressed against his forehead for the corner of his eye, and he could not even felt Derflinger´s sheath on his back. He had fucked it all up.<p>

"One more step, Karin and he dies." Fouquet said, as Paul looked up. Karin was standing firmly, feet parted, her wand pointing towards Fouquet. And her side, Tabitha held her staff in front of her, Kirche behind her, clutching her forehead with one hand and a wand in the other, all of them among rocks that were surely what remained of the golem. "Now, Gandálfr, look."

Paul looked, and saw that black box on her hand as the thief sent it down on the ground and opened it. It took him a moment to really realize what it was, but when he did, his breath caught him is throat. He was not a military gun or anything like that, far for it, but even he could tell than that was not staff, but a rocket launcher. That mean he was in his world, or at least that both worlds had some kind of connection. He could get back. He did not know how, but he could get back.

"Touch the staff, Gandálfr and tell me how it works. If you don´t, I blow your head off." Paul reached down towards the rocket launcher, touching its surface and the light of the runes burned brightly again. Information entered its head, like he was a trained soldier. Much of it was superfluous, but there was one crucial detail. Paul forced itself not to smile.

"This is staff it's really simple. See thing over there?" He pointed to the trigger. "Just press it and the staff will release an explosion that can even blow apart mountains, for that hole in the front."

Fouquet set the M-72 LAW on her shoulder with only her right hand and pointed it and the rest. Karin gritted her teeth, but did not move. It was almost funny, really. Fouquet pressed the trigger, the rocket launcher clicked and nothing more. Paul stood up fast, despite the pain in his knee, taking advantage of the shock and confusion of the thief and slid the solid sand handcuffs around his neck. Fouquet gurgled, his went to his neck, trying to tear off the handcuffs or at least lessen the pressure, but Paul just put more force into it. Soon enough, he felt the thief go limp on his arms so he stopped and slid the handcuffs out, letting Fouquet fall to the floor. He took a step back, a deep breath and he fell to his knees. The sand of the handcuffs decomposed, and he saw it fall slowly to the floor. Then, he heard footsteps approaching and looked up.

Karin went past him to Fouquet, knelling at his side with her wand draw. Tabitha grabbed the rocket launcher and put it back on the box, and Kirche simply stood off to the side.

"I knew it." Karin clucked her tongue. "Is Longueville."

Paul looked, unwilling to believe her yet knowing she was telling the truth all the same. And she was. Karin has casted the hood aside, revealing the purplish face of the secretary and letting long, green hair fall down. The truth of that sight left a bitter taste on his mouth. It was not like he knew her; hell, she barely gazed at him once and that was that, but he still fell dirty, stained. Betrayed. He shakily stood up, and as the other two went to Karin he walked closer. Derflinger was in his sheath, wrapped around her waist. Karin took off Longueville´s wand, and broke it in two with her bare hands.

"This will have to do." She said. "Let´s go."

* * *

><p>They went back to the carriage-Paul with Derflinger back on his back, Karin dragging the unconscious Longueville with her. She put the thief on the backseat with the rest of them and took the reins of the carriage. Longueville had be better, a far less jumpy ride, but Karin was not bad at all. He wanted to catch some shut eye, but he did not fell comfortable with the very thought of sleeping beside a murderous thief, so he just put a hand of Derflinger´s handle and spend the whole ride watching her every move.<p>

Longueville stirred awake when they reached the entrance gates of the academy, but looked to her sides and did not try to pull anything. Tabitha, Kirche and Paul disembarked, the blue haired little girl carrying the black box of the staff. Karin dragged Longueville by the arm, her wand pressed against the small of her back. They followed behind her, up a spiral staircase the headmaster´s office. She did even knock, just opened the door with her other hand. Osmond and Colber were there, and they looked when they heard.

"Miss Longueville…?" Osmond said, then looked down. "What are you doing, Karin?"

She just looked at him.

"Oh, oh, oh. She is…"

"Yes, headmaster. She is Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt."

"And a burning hot mage." Derflinger butted him. "If you know what I mean."

"Shut up, Derf." Paul muttered.

"Hey!"

"How could I not see this before?"

"Don´t blame yourself, headmaster. Age hurts everybody."

"That's no excuse. I am supposed to protect my students, but this whole time Fouquet herself was right under my nose. I…Just don´t…" Osmond signed. "We get to that later. First of all, what about the staff?"

"She didn´t know of to use it." Karin said. "The reason she leaded us to that localization was for my daughter's familiar to use the staff so she could learn how it worked."

Osmond flinched.

"But it was recovered safely." Tabitha stepped forward, and put the box down on the headmaster´s desk.

"Oh, well. At least it was not for nothing." Osmond looked towards Longueville, sadly. That grandfatherly twitle had gone out of his eyes. "Why? I thougth…"

"Does it matter?" She cut him. "Is it going change anything? I am notorious criminal, and the palace will demand my head, even if I tell you the why. This is already over."

"I suppose, but… I just can´t understand this, Longueville."

"Matilda." She snapped. "My name is Matilda."

"So even that was a lie; I should have known." Osmond turned to Karin. "Her Highness is still here. Take Fouquet to her guards. You will get a part of Fouquet´s bounty. Tabitha, you will be grated the Elven medallion. Kirche, you will be made a chevalier. As for you, young man, I can´t give you anything. Since you are a commoner at all... well, you know."

"I don't need anything, headmaster. I just want to talk with you."

"Fine, young man." Karin walked out, taking Fouquet with her and Tabitha and Kirche left soon after. "Colbert, leave us."

Colbert gave him a stiff nood, but got out of the room anyway. When Paul heard the door close again, Osmond turned towards him, arms crossed.

"You have something to ask me?"

"Too many things, headmaster."

"Them do so. I can promise you I will answer the questions as best as I can. But first, take a seat." And Paul sat down on one the chairs.

"That thing Fouquet stole…"

"The Staff of Destruction? What do you want to know about it?"

"Are there any similar weapons?"

"Oh, goodness, no. The staff is one of a kind. If such power was common… I don´t even what to think about it. Why could you ask something like that?"

"Headmaster, this staff…is not a staff." Osmond looked at him, gravely. "Is a rocket launcher, an M-72 LAW. There is no magic involved."

"Maybe the runes messed up…"

"No. This is not because of the runes; at least, mostly. This rocket launcher is not for this world, but for my world."

"You are crazy." He laughed nervously. "This world, you say? There is only one world."

"I am not crazy, headmaster. But believe me or not… just tell how the rocket launcher was found, where. Tell me everything you know about it."

"I found it myself…"

"Just…" His voice dropped. "Just how long ago?"

"Thirty years ago." Paul suddenly felt like he was filled with lead; of course, its only clue ended up being nothing. But, wait, maybe even if there was nothing concrete, the headmaster could give him something to go on, a little nudge, at least. There had to be something; technology for another world just doesn´t drop for the sky. "During one of my travels, I was attacked by a two headed dragon. I fought it as best as I could, but even my best was not enough. I was ragged, bloodied and near death, and then a man came out of the woods, carrying the staffs…eh, rocket launchers on his shoulders, and explosion that came for one of them tore the dragon to pieces in front of my very eyes. It was horrible, but wonderful all the same. Such power…it seemed impossible. I stumbled towards the man, noticing that he bleeding but no just how serious is injuries were. I have no talent I water mage, never have, really. In any case, he passed out as soon as I got there. I transported him to the academy, and the water mages treated his wounds, but… he died. It was just too much."

"Fuck. I should have known. What happened then?"

"I buried him in the forest, on an unmarked grave, and the rocket launcher he used to save me. That´s all. I never knew who he was, where he came for. Just that."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. How I supposed to get back now?" He bit his lip. "Did he have anything with him, in his pockets or something? Anything at all?"

"Nothing." Osmond shook his head. "I am sorry."

Paul breathed heavily, once. Then:

"What are these runes?"

"W-what?"

"The runes. What are they?"

"Oh, that´s easy." Derflinger butted him. "These are the runes of Gandálfr, the Left Hand of God, and my partner."

"Derflinger…"

"What? Did you think I was going to ask you first? Like hell, old man. The kid deserves to know."

"Tell me more, Derf."

"Of course. First of all, you are the second holder of the Gandálfr runes, and thus my second partner. Also, your master is a Void Mage."

"Uh…Why is that important?"

Derflinger laughed.

"Y-you are really not for this world, eh?"

"Just explain. Please."

"Oh, well, magic is divided into five elements. They are Water, Fire, Wind, Earth and Void. Void is a 'lost element', as well as the cornerstone of magic itself, since the first Void Mage created the elemental system that as ensured the reign of the nobles." Paul eyes widened. "Yes, it's that important."

"But… I am just me. How can I be a legendary familiar?"

"Well, the runes appeared on you. That´s enough for me, really. You have to decide was good enough for you."

"I…I don´t understand."

"You will. And I will help you. I am here for that."

"Listen to him, young man." Osmond said. "That´s the reason I gave Derflinger to you in the first place, so you could learn."

"I listen." Paul snapped. "That´s all I have doing since I got here, listen. You don´t have to tell me twice."

There was a sudden, awkward silence. Paul fidgeted on his seat, while the headmaster looked at him, kind of shocked.

"I am sorry." He squeaked out. "I didn´t mean to, really, I was just…"

"No, no, don´t worry. I understand, that just rubbed you the wrong way." Osmond coughed. "Do you have any more questions?"

"Uh…" He was about to say if he when of a way to travel between worlds, but considering his reaction, he just cut himself off. "Is there anyway to return the familiar to where it was summoned?"

The headmaster shook his head.

"I afraid not. The summoning ritual is a one way only."

"Okay." Why did he even get his hopes out? He should have known better by now. "I have nothing else, then."

Paul sat up.

"Thank you for your time, headmaster."

"Anytime, young man. Anytime."

* * *

><p>It didn´t take him long to get to Louise´s room. He fell uncomfortable during the whole trip, with the students giving him a wide berth and weird looks like always, but it didn´t take too long. He knocked on Louise´s door, and waited.<p>

"Come in." Paul opened the door, and saw her curled up in the bed.

"Master, what´s wrong?"

"Eh, funny. What´s wrong, you say. Really funny. Have you ever thought about being a court jester, familiar?" Paul did not answer. Sometimes, there just was not a right answer. He waited. Louise sat up on the bed. "Was wrong is that my mother left me behind, that when I finally had a chance to prove my worth to her she just pushed me aside. Don't you get it? I sure I must have looked pathetic in the headmaster´s office; nearly crying even thought I am the daughter of a Duchess, of Karin the Heavy Wind herself. Pathetic, like the zero I am."

"Master…"

"Shut up. Just shut up and listen." Louise let out a deep breath. "I did not want to go to search for Fouquet, to be honest. He scared me. Of course he did. I can´t even cast anything more than an explosion, and he was a triangle mage powerful and cunning enough to be known all across Halkagenia. Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt; even is name is ominous. But I needed to do it. It was not just because my mother was there, thought is part of it; it was mostly because it was my responsibility. Mother taught me that since I was young. A noble is like steel he bends but never breaks. A noble has to take responsibility for his actions, and take care of his own mistakes. That´s what I lived for, and now… It hurts. Even that Zerbst whore got more approval for mother that I ever did in my life, in a single day. And she took you, my own familiar, instead of me. Do you understand? Could you ever understand? No, of course."

"I…" Louise was so small, really. Like a child. It was hard to think badly of her, to blame her for any of this, even when he knew she was responsible for it all, when Derflinger and Osmond at told it that. She was just a hurt child, seeking the attention of her mother and that twisted am him. Anybody deserves better than that, even her. "I understand."

Louise turned her head towards him, sharply.

"What?!"

"When you are born with such expectations on your shoulders, and can´t fulfil them, when you can´t even get praise for your own mother… It hurts. You believe you should just give up, and you could do it if that could not just make it worse. You just what to stop hurting, right? You want your mother to praise you, or at least acknowledge your efforts."

Louise hid her face between her hands, breathing heavily in silence for a long while. Then, she leaned down on the bed, and covered herself.

"None of this happened. You heard me? I did not cry."

"Yes, master." Paul replied, and went to his hay pile to sleep.

**Author's Notes**

**I am sorry for the wait. Is not like I just suddenly lost inspiration for this history, or something like that. Not at all. Is just that I don´t have as much time to write because of IRL reasons. You can expect this history to be updated once a week for now on.**


	6. A Tree on a Slope

**Chapter 6**

_A Tree on a Slope_

Paul stirred awake, and heard the cracking of wood.

He stiffened. The door had been opened, as silently as possibly. Louise could not have any reason to go away in the middle of the night, but much less to take so much care with the door. She could care less if she awaked him. So that means that whoever that person was, it did not intend anything good. Had Fouquet escaped to take vengeance? They had barely beaten her the first time, with four against one, and just because he had managed to trick her and knock her out before she could do anything. This time could be different.

He heard the door closing, and soft footsteps. Paul closed his eyes, and rolled around on the pile, touching Derflinger´s sheath with one hand, idly, as in his sleep. Then he drew Derflinger and spurt into action. He charged at the hooded figure in the darkness, and it let out a high pinched yell and took step back. Before it could move away, or do anything else he grabbed it and pushed it against the wall, the edge of the sword against its throat.

"Don´t move." He breathed, harshly, thought is hand trembled. He was reminded of Guiche, of the moment he had his life on his hand and chose to end him- the sound of skin tearing, the smell of fresh blood. It all sickened him. "Don´t you dare move."

"No, wait, I am…" Paul froze. That did not sound like Longueville.

"Familiar?! What´s wrong?" He heard Louise stir on the bed, two loud claps later and the light came on. He saw the face of Princess Henrietta through the shadows of the hood. Derflinger fell for his hand and clattered upon hitting the ground.

"Henrietta?!" Paul took a step back, and put his hands over his head.

"I am sorry, I didn´t mean to, I did not know it was you."

"Is… Okay." Henrietta said, and she brought a hand to her throat, wincing. "I should have… called or something. Don´t worry."

"Familiar, what did you do?!" Louise screamed, got out the bed and knelled, still in her nightgown. "Your highness, are you all right? He did not hurt you, did he? I-I swear he will be punished. Y-you there, knell too."

"Don´t worry, Louise. Your familiar just wanted to protect you. It was my fault anyway. I should have knocked, but I just opened the door without asking. And please, stop acting so formally. We are friends right?"

"But still…Wait, how did you open the door, your highness? Is locked. No even magic should be able to open it."

"Uh. Headmaster Osmond gave me the keys."

"O-oh, okay." She stood up, pulling down the hem of her nightgown. "Why? I mean, of course you can visit anytime you want, but why ask the headmaster for the keys where you could just knock?"

"Is not that simple, Louise. I had something to tell you, in private and well… I wanted to make sure of it as best as I could."

"What, Princess? If I can help you, I will. You know that."

"I… I am getting married to the Emperor of Germania."

"C-congratulations?"

"I can´t be helped." Henrietta smiled, weakly. "It can't be helped. It must be done to solidify our alliance."

"So that's why..."

"It is alright, Louise. I have always known I could not marry the one I love." She signed. "Those two-faced Albion nobles do not want Tristain and Germania to become allies. They have been searching frantically for anything that would interfere with the marriage, and they have found it. Is… A letter I have written some time ago. If those Albion nobles get their hands on it, they would send it forward to the Germanian Imperial Family as soon as they could. And when the Emperor reads the letter, it all will be over. Tristain will have to face Albion alone."

"Where is it?"

"It's in Albion, with Prince Wales. But he… he has no chance. Sooner or later, he and the letter will fall to the rebels."

"Then, what can we do?"

"Take the letter out of Albion. That´s the only chance Tristain has."

"You…" Louise held her breath. "You are saying…"

"I know it's terrible, asking you to go to Albion while the nobles and the royalists are at war, but I can trust you. I know that, I really do and that means everything to me. So, please help me, Louise." Terrible? That was putting it mildly. She was sending a schoolgirl into a war zone, her supposed friend at that. And he too, of course. This was far beyond terrible. Sick, just plain sick.

"You don´t need to ask. You are my princess and most of all my friend; I can´t never turn you away. I-I do my best, Princess. Just leave this matter to us."

"Thank you, Louise." Henrietta said, with misty eyes. She lift both of her hands to her face, and gently wiped out her tears, laughing softly. "Thank you."

"Do we leave tomorrow morning, or now?"

"Tomorrow." There was a pause. "We have heard that Wales has set up cam somewhere around Newcastle." Henrietta put on hand on her pocked, and took it out what looked like a letter. She presented it too Louise and she took it with reverence. Really, it was almost cute. If that did not mean he was irreversible going to be thrown into a warzone. "Give this too Wales, please."

"Understood." Louise said, standing straight.

"Ah, also…" Henrietta looked down, and took out a ring for her right hand. It was tiny, red and looked like it was worth a fortune. Then, she gave it to Louise, too. "This is a Water Ruby that my mother gave me. If you have any money problems, you can sell this."

"H-henri..." Louise looked down, and bit her lip. "Understood."

* * *

><p>Paul did not go back to sleep. He closed its eyes and trashed around the hay pile, trying to forget the threat that loomed over him, but it was no use. He had be seen to the middle of a warzone, with only Derflinger and magical runes, by the whims of a teenager princess. He was as good as dead. What where the chances, really? Maybe the princess could grow some sense and sent one or two people with them, at least, but they were still pretty fucked. Dangerous didn´t even begin to cover it.<p>

So he thought about leaving.

It was not the first time he thought about it, thought before it had be a stupid move. If he did, he could be lost in a world he didn´t understand, blind and not knowing how to survive, with the only chance he had to get back home lost. Now, it was still the same. But he now had Derflinger, and an ancient sentient sword had to have some knowledge of the world, right? And even if he didn´t, it was not like staying to go and fight in Albion was a better idea. You're your poison. That was what it amounted too. That was what it amounted too since he was summoned, really. He was just realizing it now.

So, what? Being a fugitive for the rest of his life, Derflinger on his back, without a chance to see his mother and his father again and his house and everything? Or go with Louise to a very dangerous mission, and have a chance-at least the hope-of going back to his world? Life or home. Life or home.

Damn it.

* * *

><p>When he saw sunlight streaming through the window, he sat up, grabbed Derflinger, put him back on his back and waked Louise. He helped her dress out, and followed her out the tower and into the courtyard. He had expected to be leaded into the stables, but they got out of the academy instead, and in front of the entrance gates there were two horses, tied to the wall, prepared for travel.<p>

"Uh, master?"

"What?"

"I don´t know how to ride a horse."

"S-seriously? How did you get around then? You just walked everywhere or what?"

"I never had any need to travel, master, so my family didn´t teach me." That lied had come so quickly, that it was like it was the truth. It was scary, sometimes, how distant his world really was.

"Uh." She grumbled, and crossed her arms. "Fine. We leave one horse here, and we ride together. But don´t get touchy, familiar. If you need to hold to something, grab the horse."

"Yes, master." Louise unhooked one horse for the wall, put one foots on the stirrup and sat on the saddle. It looked about as natural as all of those Western protagonist, who seemed like they could ride with their eyes close or their hands tied behind their backs.

"Come on, familiar." Paul clumsily put one foot on the stirrup, grabbing the saddle with his other hand. Then he carefully sat on the saddle, grabbing its sides with his hands, nearly rubbing against Louise´s back. It was uncomfortable as hell. Louise grabbed the reins of the horse, and made it walk forward.

Then, something fell for the sky, just a blur and landed on the ground. It was an avian creature, with long, extended wings, a beak and a long, soft looking tail nearly hidden for view. Paul recognized the thing instantly as one of those creatures that had accompanied the Princess carriage. On the top of it, there was a rough looking man, with a blue hat, long gray hair and a mustache. He jumped down to the ground, landed lightly on his feet and stepped forward towards them, hands extended at his sides.

"Ah, it has been such a long time, Louise." The way he said her name made him feel sick. It fell so… possessive.

"Yes, Viscount. It has really been a long time."

"Come on, don´t be like that. I know we are here under orders at all that, but I am so happy anyways. I have always wanted to visit you, but my work couldn´t allow it and now… I finally can." The man smiled. "It wonderful, right?"

Louise fidgeted on the saddle.

"Viscount…Please, don´t be like this. Not in front of my own familiar…"

"Oh, yes. Sorry." The Viscount looked at him, and tipped of his hat. "I am Jean-Jacques Francis, Viscount of Wardes and Capitan of the Griffin Knights. What´s your name, familiar?"

"Paul Davis, sir."

"A swordsman, and polite too. How nice. That's rare these days, no matter where it comes from." Wardes nodded, and turned away to Louise. "Well, come with me, Louise. What are you waiting for?"

"I am sorry, Viscount, but…"

"Come on, at least call me Wardes, dear." Paul stiffened. Dear? This man had to be twenty five, at least. How could he call a schoolgirl dear? This is the kind of shit that made him wonder if he should have run on the first day.

"…I am sorry Wardes, but my familiar doesn´t know how to ride a horse, so I will be with him on the ground."

"So responsible, Louise. You really have not changed. That makes me glad." He smiled. "Very well. I watch you two for the skies, then."

Then he turned around, walked to that beast and jumped on the top of it. When he raised his hands, Paul saw he was clenching reins that were wrapped around the neck of that thing, like it was some kind of horse. Then, Wardes and the griffin took up to the skies.

* * *

><p>They traveled at a good pace for hours, but without stopping to rest at any point. He already fell like shit half hour ago; now, he just wondered just how much it was going to take. He had nothing to distract himself but for looking around, and the landscape was monotonous. Nothing but trees, flowers, the occasional houses all huddled together and little else. Even looking out to that creature above and Wardes, with his cape blowing it the wind, got old fast. They had to stop twice to replace the horse, but since he did not do anything but stand around and wait for Louise, it's not like it changed anything.<p>

"Familiar." Uh, that was new. She had not spoken a single word during the whole ride. Neither did Derflinger.

"Yes, master?"

"Are you wondering why…why does he call me like that? What exactly is our story?"

"Ah, yes. Why?"

"…Wardes is my fiancé. At least, he is supposed to be my fiancé. Our parents decided it when I was little, less that ten year old. And meeting him now… I mean, Henrietta didn´t even tell me she was going to send somebody with us, much less him. Is so weird, like I… missed something. This is the first time I have seen him in ten years, just like that." She shook her head. "Is strange, familiar. I should be happy, but I just fell… like I greeted one my classmates or something like that. Ah, I am not even making sense, right?"

"No, I think I get it, master. You felt disorienting by all of this."

"Disoriented?" She mumbled. "I suppose that is part of it, but… I just don´t feel anything for him, familiar. I mean, I don´t dislike him, but I-I don´t love him either. Yet he is my fiancé. Or at least, he is supposed to be."

"Why don´t just cut off the agreement off, master?"

"Is not that simple, fami…" Something went buzzing past, and Louise fell down, screamed and rolled on the ground. Paul lost his balance, and fell on his back and the horse sprinted away, whinnying. He reached for Derflinger´s handle, and drew the blade. The runes blazed, and suddenly it was like he had not be all day on horseback. He stood up and ran, as arrows fell in a neat line where he had been. He saw Louise, hunched over, an arrow on her shoulder, blood pouring for her wound. Paul ran towards her, dodging the arrows, picked her with one arm and hid behind the tress. He carefully set against the tree, while she grunted and moaned with pain, her eyes glazed over.

"Hold on, master." As more arrows went flying together, he heard the sound of flapping wings. Wardes was coming. Thank god. Paul looked out, for a moment, while they archers should be recharging their bows. He saw them, lined up in the cliff above, between the trees. He ducked back. Gandálfr runes or not, he could not do anything here, so he knelled at Louise´s side. She was panting, misty eyed, with one hand against the arrow stuck in her shoulder. The blood flowed for her wound, down her arm and to the ground, staining her shirt on the way. He had to do something. "All right, all right, everything is going to be fine."

He reached a hand to pull the arrow out, but hesitated. That could be bad. He could not remember exactly why, but he was sure he had read something about it.

"Derflinger, what should I do?"

"Break it."

"What?"

"Just break it. Trust me." Paul grabbed the arrow sticking out for Louise´s flesh, and snapped it half. Louise screamed at the top of her lungs, started crying and the wound bleed faster. "Hurry, bandage it, partner."

Paul tore off a piece of his shirt with Derflinger´s edge, slid her shirt down to reveal her shoulder and wrapped it around it. He watched it redden with Louise´s blood, slowly. Then, he held down his bile and slid the shirt upwards.

"She is going to be fine, right?"

"She is not going to bleed out, if that´s what you are asking, but the wound may be infected. Hell, it surely is infected. She needs a water mage. If not…" Paul was pushed, and he stumbled to the side.

"Louise!" Wardes said, choking as he knelled at her side. She gave no response; she just panted and grunted in pain, not even hearing him. "Louise!"

He looked down, and Paul realized he was looking at her shoulder. No, more like at the torn piece of clothing he had used as a makeshift bandage. He heard Wardes take a deep breath, and then he picked Louise up on his arms.

"We need to hurry." He mumbled, more to himself that to him. Then, he turned around and walked away, head held down. Paul followed Wardes to his creature, and he watched him set Louise down on the beat´s back with care. He turned his head to him, slowly. "Hop on."

Wardes jumped on the creature´s back, and took hold of the reins. Paul clumsily sat on the far edge, behind Louise.

"Grab her."

"What?"

"Grab her so that she doesn´t fall. But be careful. A wound, like that…" He signed. "Just be careful, all right?"

"Understood." Paul said, grabbed her and pressed her against him, while she writhed around in pain, moaning weakly. Then, they took off to the skies.

* * *

><p>He had pressed his legs tingly against the sides of the creature as he felt the rush of wind, the blowing of his clothes, but he still fell dizzy, like he could fall in any second. That his hands were on Louise, instead of the creature, didn´t help matters in any way. His hair blew against his eyes, and even breathing was painful. He thought he could pass out in any moment, or puke or something, but somehow nothing happened. It was an unbearable ride, but nothing happened.<p>

Wardes sent down the creature at an inn, and then he could breathe again. Paul took a long deep breath and mounted down, with Louise on his arms. Wardes left the creature standing around, untied, for some reason and went inside the inn. Paul followed him. Wardes bought a room for the three, and explained Louise state when the owner took notice of her. Paul had to carefully carry Louise upstairs, and set her down on the bed. He touched her forehead with one hand, putting a few strands of her hair aside. She was burning up.

"I am going to call a friend of mine, a water mage. Stay here with her, and help her if she needs it." Wardes said.

"Why a friend?" Wardes looked at him, and then shook his head ruefully.

"A local water mage could ask too many questions, familiar."

"No, I know. Don't treat me for a fool… but, how long he is going to take to get here? What if something happens to her in the mean time? Our first priority should be her safety, not what doubts a random water mage could have, what could he talk about and to whom."

"I know. I know, but I can´t do anything. I am the Capitan of the Griffin Knights, one of the princess personal knights. My duty is to her Highness, even while my heart rests with Louise. We just have to hope for the best."

"…Fine." Wardes went out of the room, and Paul was left waiting on Louise´s bedside. He watched her as the shadows of the room grew, while she turned on the bed, beads of sweat running down her face, making small, pitiful sounds of pain. When the only light was the one of the lamp, the door opened. Wardes strode into the room, accompanied by man with blue hair, a wand on his hand. He went to Louise´s bedside, next to Paul but he still seemed like he had not even seen him. The man waved his wand around, muttering, stopped and then started going in circles, a hand on his chin.

"What´s going?" Wardes asked.

"Nothing. I am just working. You know me, Wardes. Calm down."

"…I am sorry." Wardes signed. "Is just hard."

"I understand." The man stopped in a minute or two, waved his wand around and Louise wound started closing right in front of Paul´s eyes. Louise cried out in pain, and Wardes almost rushed towards her, but the other man put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "Wardes, don´t be stupid. The pain will fade eventually, and she is no longer in any risk. So, calm down."

Wardes backed off, looking ashamed and oddly vulnerable.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Thank you, Richard."

"Don´t mention it, just sent me my standard fee as early as you can."

"Eh, of course." Richard and Wardes exchanged goodbyes, and Richard left the room, leaving the three alone in silence. Wardes left out a deep breath, then: "Come out. We have to talk."

Paul did not want to do it. He did not like how Wardes sounded, at all-heavy, like the words were a weight on itself-but is was not like he had any choice. It was not different for following Louise around, the headmaster or even the princess. He just had to deal with it, and move on. Paul sat up, and followed Wardes out of the room. He closed the door behind them, and pushed Paul against the wall.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He screamed, more shrilly that he could have liked to admit but shrilly all the same. Even with Derflinger on his back, he could only wondered just how far things could go and just how powerful Wardes was in comparison to Fouquet. Did he stand a chance?

"What´s wrong, you say? What is wrong is that Louise is in pain, and is your fucking fault! You are her familiar, you are supposed to protect her, but you did not do a thing." Wardes snarled, and went Paul moved forward he pushed him against the wall again, like he was handling a new born. It was frustrating, and humiliating. All of it was. It was just a more violent version how of Louise threated him, he recognized that, but it still made his blood boil. He had no right to push him around, he had not right to expect him to shut up and just take the blame for the near death of a person. "Not a single thing. How could you let that happen? I trusted you. I put my fiancés life in your hands, and you show me nothing but how incompetent you really are. You should have pushed her out the way, you should have done _anything_ but let her be hurt. You…"

"What about you, Wardes?" Paul screamed, took a step forward and pushed Wardes back. All that ferocity went out of him. "What about you? You said you could watch us for the skies, and look at what a fucking good job you did! I nearly died, and if was not there Louise could have be killed by the archers before you got a fucking clue! What about that, eh?"

"You…" Wardes trembled, teeth chattering. "You piece of shit!"

And then he slapped him. Paul was pushed back, and his head slammed against the wall of the inn. He heard something break, like a stick and fell his mouth fill with a coppery taste right before he fell to the floor, on his ass. Paul coughed, his jaw burning and spit out blood. His blood. That bastard had made him spit blood! Wardes took a step forward, and Paul hastily drew Derflinger for his sheath, pointing the blade at Wardes neck. The runes blazed, and Wardes stopped.

"Sorry. I just got… I got carried away." He looked down, towards his trembling hand, towards the runes. "Why are the runes…? Ah, never mind. Grab my hand."

Then, Wardes presented him is open hand. Paul stared at him, incredulously. He has screamed at it, accused him, insulted him, knocked him out with a punch, made him taste and spit blood and now he was supposed to take his hand, just like that? Paul slapped the hand away, and it resounded in the room like a gunshot. Wardes looked at him, shocked.

"Thanks but I can get out by myself." He said no really believing he had dared to do it, do to any of what he did. Being stupid could cause his death, he knew that since the beginning and he still fucked up. At least, it was not serious. If he had dared to do this too Louise… nothing good could have happened. But Wardes had to deal with it. Paul sat up slowly, grimacing in pain and holding himself with one hand against the wall. He wiped the blood out of his lips with the back on his hand, and sheathed Derflinger. "I find the bathroom myself, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay, then." Paul passed Wardes, at hand cupping his jaw, his eyes watering and stumbled to the bathroom, trying to hold its pain down. He found the bathroom, cleaned itself out and spit out blood until he didn´t it no more. His jaw still hurt, but he touched it, moved it and it did not seem like that bastard had broken anything. He was all right. His body still shook, but Wardes was far away for him, and Derflinger was still on his back. Really, there was nothing to fear.

"I am all right." He said to his reflection on the mirror, and he sure was. Nothing more.

* * *

><p>By the morning, Louise ´s wound had closed and she was back on her feet. Wardes insisted that she rest, however and that they could depart later in the day. Louise groggily accepted, and soon after Wardes left the inn. He said that he could be looking for the soonest ship to Albion. Paul was left alone with Louise, until there was a knock at the door. He opened, and a waitress strode into the room, pushing a cart with three plates. The waitress put two plates on the nightstand, and gave another to him. They ate in silence, then:<p>

"Familiar?" Paul set the plate down, and looked at her.

"What it is, master?"

"Do you know how it feels to nearly die?" Paul stiffened. "You must. I know that. I saw it. I saw you stumbling to Guiche, with a gaping, bleeding hole on your chest. I saw your blood. And I saw you killing him. You have felt that… so, tell me one thing. I am alive; I am fine, so why does it still hurt?"

Paul just stared at her, not finding the right words to say, not even knowing if there were right words at all. He just saw Guiche´s face, is bulged eyes, the blood spilling for his mouth and how he writhed around in pain. He saw his eyes glazing over, his movements growing weaker until he closed his eyes and he was not more.

"It hurts." Louise said, slowly and deliberate, her hands trembling. "It hurts so much. I couldn´t hear it, couldn´t see it coming, couldn´t do anything but get hit and be a weight. I barely remember what happened after that, you know? I just remember you kneeling at my side, saying something I could not even hear, and a spike of pain, of course. That was the only thing that fell real. Wardes was there, concerned and then you took me in your arms. We flew, we came here, and that´s all. The rest is just the pain and the heat, growing and growing…" She choked up. "I couldn´t handle it, can´t handle it even now, so of can you keep on living like nothing happened? How can you live like somebody did not nearly kill you?"

"I… I don´t have any choice."

"I don´t, either. That´s what worries me. I have to go on, no matter what I fell, because I made a promise to the princess. I should have known better, but I did it anyway. And now I can´t take it back. Not just because of duty, or because she is my friend but because… everything else. I have no choice at all. I… We will all go to Albion, a warzone. That´s… That´s big. Horrible. I can´t even face a few bandits with bows, and I supposed to survive this?" Her voice broke, and started crying, quietly shaking. "I just want to go back."

She hid her face between her hands, and curled into a ball.

"Stupid familiar." She said, between sobs. "Y-you are supposed to comfort me."

Paul went close to Louise, and hesitantly slid his arm across her shoulder. She leaned into him willingly, buried her face in his chest and hugged him, shaking even harder. He held her like that for a long while, until she calmed down and then both pretend it had not happened, but it was still there all the same. A connection.

Wardes returned an hour or two after, informing that they would depart in the afternoon. They did so. Paul had expected to be leaded down into a harbor, but they keep walking uphill and it turned up it was a giant tree. He looked down, thinking how long he could scream until he hit the ground-just how long-and looked away. He had never been any good with heights. They were guided by Wardes through the stairs and ended in front of him a ship, just docked there in the air, with lots of ropes tying it to the arbor. They stepped on board, while somebody screamed orders for above as the sailors moved around. Soon enough, the ship took up to the skies, towards Albion.


	7. Into the Wind

**Chapter 7**

_Into the Wind_

Paul opened his eyes, and felt the ship come into a stop. He got out the bed, grabbed Derflinger´s sheath, put it back on his back and went up the stairs into the deck. Just in front of him, he saw another ship between the clouds, several times larger than the one they were in, with cannons lined up on its sides. He saw Wardes and Louise, standing together near the mast like went he had gone to sleep last night. He approached them. Both hear him come, and turned briefly towards him before returning to watch the other ship.

"It doesn´t have any nationality flags." He heard Wardes mumbling, and he saw him clutching his wand tighter. The ship sailed parallel to them, and the cannons fire. Paul flinched, but the cannonball went past him and disappeared into the clouds.

"They're ordering us to stop, captain."

"I know." The captain snapped at that sailor, then: "Wrap sails. Stop the ship."

The other ship stopped, and on their port men lined up. They shot hooked lines to the ship´s starboard, and climbing them towards the ship.

"What can we do?" Paul whispered, his hand itching for Derflinger´s handle. He feel defenseless without him on his hand, despite that he could still fell the weight of his sheath on his back.

"Nothing at all. I am spending all my magic on fueling this ship´s wind stones."

"We can´t just do nothing, Wardes." Louise squeaked out. "We have a mission, right? W-we have to try, at least. I would try to blow them out o-or something."

"What if you one explosion is not enough, Louise? We could all be killed." Wardes shook his head. "We don´t have any choice."

Paul saw a dirty hand wrapping itself around the ship´s handrail, and then one man climbed into the ship. Others followed him, each of them armed. One elegantly dressed man steeped forward, with a long beard and an eye patch on his left eye, surely their leader. He looked around the deck expressionlessly, for the sailors to Wardes, Louise and him.

"Where's the captain?"

"Me." A trembling voice came for somewhere far away.

"What's the ship's name and what does it carry?"

"Tristainia's _Marie Galante_; it carries sulfur."

"Oh. A good catch. Be a while since the last one." He approached Louise, and raised her chin with his hand, just like that. Paul saw her tremble, and bit her lip. "And what about you, sweetie? Would you like to be our dishwasher?"

She looked away for the man, misty eyed, but didn´t do anything else. It was so unlike her that it was heartbreaking. She was frozen in fear, probably remembering the arrow that had hit her, the heat and the pain, while these assholes leered and laughed.

"Knock it off." The man turned towards him, slowly.

"What?"

"I said knock it off." Paul repeated, and looked at the pirate straight in the eyes. A moment passed, or two, at he was afraid he had just worsened their situation. Then, the man stepped away for Louise.

"You really got some balls, eh? Stupid kid." He shook his head ruefully, and turned to his men. "Alright, boys, take them all away. We can get a hell lot of ransom for this!"

* * *

><p>They took away their weapons, handcuffed them and leaded them into the ship, with swords and bows pointing at their backs. They made them stop in front of a cell, and the elegantly dressed man stepped forward, a set of keys on his hands. He put one on the hole, and turned it. Click. Paul saw a sheath on his belt, just hanging there and the handle of the knife. Now or never. With his hands held together by the handcuffs, he grabbed the handle and unsheathed the knife. The runes burned brightly, and he moved, sliding the handcuffs around the man´s neck before the other pirates could do anything, pressing the edge of the knife against his throat.<p>

"Don´t move!" He said firmly, even though his hand was trembling. The men had been going towards him, but now they all stopped, as one. Wardes and Louise moved behind him. "Don´t move or I slit his fucking throat!"

"Are you sure?" The man said, ruefully. "I can see the knife shaking. You are afraid."

"Don´t test me." Paul responded, and tried to hold the knife more firmly. "This is about my life or yours, so don´t you dare test me."

The man raised his hands, and Paul pressed the knife closer to his throat.

"What did I say?"

"Fine. We were thinking about what to do with you three, but there is no option now. My name is Wales Tudor, Prince of Albion."

Paul froze.

"…What did you say?"

"You heard me. Now, would you let me take off this wing?" Paul lessened the pressure. "Thank you."

He raised a hand to his head, and took off the wing, letting it fall to the floor and revealing blond hair beneath it. The hand descended, and the eye patch came down next and finally, the long beard.

"Prince Wales?" Louise and Wardes said, in unison. There was no doubt, then. This ragged pirate was a prince, and he had be about to kill him. Paul let the knife drop the floor, and stepped away for Wales. He turned around to them, smiling weakly.

"Sorry for…well, all of this." He said, with a soft tone. That he was the same man that held Louise chin and leered at her seemed like a bad joke. "It has become necessary. I am not excusing myself, I just hope you understand. Anyways, the captain of the Griffin Knights must be here for a reason, right? What business you have here?"

"A letter for her highness, to you."

"I see." Wales frowned. "Follow me, then."

* * *

><p>Their weapons were returned, and they followed Wales into a small room, like an office, with a desk in the middle, decorated with paintings with gold frames. Wales closed the door being them, and sat down on the chair behind the desk. He crossed his legs.<p>

"The letter?"

"Louise." Wardes said, but Louise didn´t respond, she just stood there, frozen. She still remembered the fear she fell on the dock of the _Maria Galante_. How Wales had laughed, and leered. How it imposing he had been. "Louise, what´s wrong?"

"Ah, n-nothing. Is nothing." She shook her head profusely, took of the letter for her pocket and presented it to Wales with slight tremble of her hands. Wales reached for the letter, and when is finger where about to touch it, Louise nearly jumped back and let the letter drop on the desk. "I am sorry, I was… I…"

"Calm down. What´s wrong?"

"You scared her." Paul said, and Wales turned towards him. "That is what its wrong. She nearly died yesterday, and now… now you come along… like that. She didn´t need that shit."

"Familiar, shut up!" He flinched. "Talk respectfully to the prince."

"No, it's okay." Wales said, though he seemed confused-maybe because he was human, and not an animal. "He is just looking out for his master."

"B-but…" Louise mumbled. "It's not right."

"It's understandable. Let´s leave it at that." He took the letter, read it and then sent the letter down on the desk. "So the princess is marrying? Ah, Henrietta, my beloved cousin. It seems like yesterday when I saw her last, and now she is growing up… Anyway, the message indicates that you should return this letter to her, and another letter I have in my possession. However, is in Newcastle right now, so you all have to come with us. Sorry for the trouble. If I had known, I could have taken it with me."

Paul signed. Back to the warzone, of course. It couldn´t just be solved like that. But at least, they could have the backing of a prince and their soldiers. This didn´t look too bad; it fact, it was starting to look survivable.

* * *

><p>The ship took them to ragged coastline of Albion. They had been traveling for three hours and could already see the cape, a big castle standing on its very edge-the fortress city of Newcastle. The ship sailed beneath the continent, and it all plugged into darkness. Paul had to grab to the handrail to calm down. After a while, light returned and when Paul looked up he saw a bright hole beneath Albion. The ship slowly rose to the hole, and entered it. It was a port, but it was empty save for the people all around the ship. Ropes were thrown to the sailors to tie down the Eagle and finally the wooden gangway was attached. They disembarked.<p>

Several people approached them, and Wardes had to wave then off, saying that they had an ambassador of Tristania with them and that he would explain it all later, then they followed him to his personal room. This was more befitting of a prince; a window with silky, purple curtains, a desk in the middle with a big chair behind him, paintings of men and women who must be the royals of older generations. Wales searched the desk, took off a letter, and gave it too Louise. She took it, and put it on her pocket without shaking, but Paul could she was nervous all the same.

"The Eagle will take all of you back to Tristain tomorrow, as we won´t be using it."

"We?"

"Yes, we. I will be at the final battle as well."

"But…"

"My only chance… our only chance was winning this war, but we failed. There isn´t any choice for us now. We can only die in battle, protecting the last of our ruined kingdom, even when we know we are going to be defeated and die. But at least, we will die in glory."

Louise looked down, her hair falling on her eyes and mumbled something. Paul could hear her teeth chattering.

"What did you say?"

"What is… What´s so glorious about dying?!" Wales looked at her, with a shocked face and Louise cut herself off. She took step back, looking ashamed and then: "Ah, I am sorry. Is just the travel and, well, everything. I-I didn´t mean it."

"Oh, but it's clear you mean it." Wales smiled. "But don´t worry. I just hope you never have to understand such a thing."

Louise fidgeted in place.

"May I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Is this a love letter?"

"Yes, it is." Paul couldn´t believe he had just admitting it like that. They were cousins, and in love. Hell, maybe they even had sex. Disgusting.

"I know… I know how her highness thinks. She surely asked you to run away, so why do you still want to die?"

"She didn´t do such a thing. I am no lying; I swear it by my honor. Henrietta is a princess, so she has to give priority to her country."

"Why? Just… why? There has to be something…anything."

"No. There is nothing do to. Even if she had indeed asked me that, I could only be causing problems for her if I ran away." Wales signed. "You are an honest girl, I give you that. Loyal, too. But some things just can´t be done. Sometimes… sometimes bitter choices are the best ones."

"Fine."

"In any case." Wales continued, like he hadn't heard the sadness and deep resignation on her voice. "We were planning on having a party today, and since you are our guests I could like you to attend as well."

"Of course." Louise said, and Paul followed her out of the room. Wardes stayed behind, for some reason, but she didn´t even look back. She didn´t get far. They passed a few corners in silence, and then she leaned against the wall, hiding her face between her hands. He could not hear sobbing, but she shook quietly. Paul approached her, and made to put a hand on her shoulder. She slapped it away.

"Master…"

"I am fine." She said, even though her voice sounded broken. Louise uncovered her face, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "I am fine, familiar. Let´s just go."

* * *

><p>Louise asked around, and leaded him into the castle´s hall, where the party had already started. The three hundred soldiers of Wales were divided in four tables, packed to the brim with food and drinks. Up some stairs, there was a throne in which an old man, the king of Albion, sat. The soldiers laughed together, and laughed merrily, like death was not as close as the next day. Wardes arrived in the hall with Wales, and while he took position with them the prince approached the throne. Wales stood beside his father.<p>

"Tomorrow, Reconquista will come and full force. We won´t be able to withstand the attack with our forces, so it won´t even be a battle, but a slaughter. Let´s show them the error of their ways; let´s show that the ideal we strived for, to reach the Holy Land, the ideal given to us by Founder Brimir himself, should not be tainted by violence and hatred. We won´t allow it! When they come to put down a dying kingdom, dying men… we will fight, we will thrive and we kill them! We will show them what we are, the power of the winds of Albion!"

"Yes your Majesty!" The soldiers screamed, as one. "Whole Army Forward! Whole Army Forward! Whole Army Forward!"

With that, everyone returned to the feast. The soldiers ate, joked and laughed, just like that and sometimes they playfully offered wine and food to them. Was it real, he wondered? Where they just going to go to their deaths with smiles on their faces, or were they just resigned? It all fell so surreal, like he was looking at this feast through a screen. After a while, they left the hall, leaving the doomed soldiers to their last rites.

"Louise?" Wardes said, and she turned to him. "Would you go ahead? I want to talk with your familiar."

"…Fine." And soon, she turned the corner, leaving them both alone. Wardes looked at him, and Paul started thinking about just how fast he could draw Derflinger. Then:

"I have to tell you something."

"What?"

"Louise and I are going to marry, tomorrow." Paul stiffened. Louise had told him Wardes mean nothing special to her, that he was just a figure for her past and she didn´t really want to marry him. So why had her feelings changed, especially in the middle of a warzone?

"Are you out your mind?" Wardes frowned, but didn´t do anything else. "Is great at all… but now? Could you not wait a bit and marry when we are back?"

"No. We want Prince Wales to act as go between of our marriage, and there really is no danger, since we will hold the ceremony before the battle. We won´t draw it out, either."

Paul just shut up, and nodded. It was clear he was not going to listen to him, and there was nothing he could do to change the situation anyway.

"Will you come?" Wardes said.

"Why are you even asking me? I am master´s familiar. Where she goes, I go."

"Eh, that´s a good answer. I asked Wales to send a new shirt to your room. You can´t attend with a torn up shirt."

"Thank you."

Wardes smiled.

"Well, then, I have to go."

"All right." They went their separate ways, and Paul searched for the room Wales had told him about. He found the room soon enough, took off his shoes, made himself comfortable on the bed and tried to sleep. The sounds of the party reached him through the wall, as he tossed and turned.

* * *

><p>He had fell sleep soon enough, sooner than he ever thought. That he knew three hundred men would die tomorrow-three hundred, and god knows how many more- didn´t even matter at all. What mattered was that the bed was comfortable and warm and not like the ground of Louise´s bedroom at all. What mattered that it was the first time he felt fine since coming to this world. He didn´t even have nightmares.<p>

When he waked up, he sat up and saw a shirt hanging on the bedside table out of the corner of his eye. It was nothing special; white, long sleeved and a wide collar. He got out of the bed, took his shirt and put on the other shirt. It was comfortable, better that he expected and it seemed to be his size.

He got out the room, wandered around for a while until he had to ask for directions and finally reached the chapel. Wales was already there on the altar, dressed like a priest. Paul sat on one of the seats, and waited. The big, wooded door creaked and he saw Louise and Wardes enter the room as he turned. Both of them were dressed like normal, but she had a veil decorated bright red roses. When they passed in on the way, Louise gave him a brief, empty gaze. So her feeling hadn´t changed after all? Was this all to fulfill the dealt made by their families? It must be. Such lifeless eyes didn´t made sense, otherwise. They reached the altar.

"Well then, let's start the ceremony." Wales said, and his voice resonated in the nearly empty chapel. "Bridegroom, Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes. Do you take this girl as your wife, and swear to respect and love her in the name of the Founder Brimir?"

"I swear." Wardes said.

"Bride, the third daughter of the Duke of La Vallière, Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière, do you take this man as your husband, and swear to respect and love him in the name of the Founder Brimir."

Louise stirred, then, as if startled and the veil nearly fell out of her head. She looked to the side, and didn´t respond.

"Louise, it's okay." Wardes responded. "It`s normal to be nervous, just take your time."

"I mean it." She said, and raised her head to look at Wardes eye to eye. "I don´t want this."

They stood there, looking at each other in silence, while Wales was stuck there in the middle, awkwardly. Then, Wardes laughed.

"S-stop joking around, Louise. You can´t be refusing my offer."

"Viscount, stop. She clearly doesn´t want this ceremony to continue."

"The Prince is right." Louise said, simply.

"Why? I am not good enough for you, is that it? I am not good enough for a _Valliére_?"

"Is not that; I just don´t love you." Paul saw Wardes calm expression break. He took off his wand him a flash, and wind pierced Wales's chest, sending it tumbling against the wall. He fell, a put a hand on the hole, which was soon drenched in blood. He opened his mouth, but only blood came out. Paul stared him shock for a moment, then stood up and drew Derflinger for his sheath. Louise screamed, turned around, and ran for it.

"You are mine!" Wardes screamed, and stopped Louise, grabbing her by the shoulder.

"Let me go, you…!" She struggled, but it was no use. "Help me!"

Wardes turned towards him, as if just realized he was there and waved his wand around. Before he could finish chanting, Paul jumped to the side and the gust of wind that came out lifted several seats high in the air and came crashing down noisily, some on the ground, some against other seats which broke in half upon impact. Wardes took a step back, an incantation on his lips, but Paul reached the altar and slashed at Wardes. He threw Louise aside, dodged the slash and punched him in the face, pushing him back.

"Partner! Down!" Paul heard it, and crouched, so the edge of Wardes wand cut off a few strands of his hair instead of his neck. When he stood up again, Wardes was pointing at his chest and he was sent flying backwards. The chapel turned over twice before his eyes, and then he crashed against one of the seats, breaking it half. As he lay among the splattered wood, he was dimly aware that he still had Derflinger and he saw the light of the runes intensifying for the corner of his eye.

"Worthless. Is this a legend?" Paul grasped the handle tighter, and tried to stand up. He heard footsteps, and when he looked up he saw Wardes approaching him slowly, just like that. His teeth gritted together.

"Raise me!" Derflinger screamed, and Paul raised him just as a gust of wind came for Wardes wand. His clothes flapped in the wind, and he could fell pressure him is entire body, but he didn´t move a step: the sword adsorbed it all. After a few seconds, he stopped feeling the wind.

"You are not an ordinary sword." Wardes said, and stopped.

"Well, duh. Anything else I need to know?"

"Yes." He smiled. "I will kill your wielder and take you."

Paul rushed at him, but Wardes just stood there, chanting something. Just before he reached him, he smiled. Paul slashed at him, across the stomach, ripping off his shirt and his flesh, drawing blood. Then, Wardes disappeared right before his eyes. Paul looked around, and saw that he was surrounded. Seven Wardes stood around him in a circle, each one holding a wand.

"What…?"

"They are not mere copies; each one of them holds part of my strength. I will kill you quickly, and take Louise with me."

"Shut up!" Paul grasped the handle so hard his knuckles turned white, as the runes shined even more brightly. "Shut the fuck up!"

He raised the sword about his head, and slashed at one who had spoken. That Wardes parried the strike with his own wand, and then he felt a pain on his shoulder. He screamed, vaguely aware of the wound, at slashed at the other one, cutting his head off and making the copy disappear into thin air. Paul felt a pressure on his chest, and was knocked off his feet. The remaining copies advanced on him, wand´s held high. The runes shined so strongly no that their faces became more and more indistinctive as they grew closer. He tried to stand up again, but one of them pushed him back with one foot.

"Do you understand now?" The true Wardes-the one he thought was the true Wardes-said. "Do you understand my power? Even you can´t do anything. Think, as you die, how things could have be if just sat down, shut up and let me take what was mine for the beginning."

"_THIS IS ON YOU!_"

One of them kicked him in right in the face, making it snap back with force. He spat out blood.

"I fucking kill you!"

Wardes didn´t answer, he just raised his wand and all the others raised their wand with him, as one. He could hear them all, chanting, and could see the vague outline of their mouths moving even through the line of the runes. Paul grasped one of the broken pieces of the seats, and stabbed in deep trough one of the copy's knee. As he disappeared, Paul stood up and threw himself at the main Wardes, knocking out of the circle. He grabbed his wand as they struggled on the ground, and before the copies could finish the spell or use another one, he snapped it half. The copies vanished, leaving Wardes defenseless. He head-butted him, and stabbed Derflinger through his chest, snarling.

"Just fucking die!" Wardes struggled, punched at kicked him, but he somehow was overpowering him. He watched as his eyes bulged, as blood spilled for his mouth, as his movements grew weaker and weaker, and as his body finally went limp. He was dead. Really dead. Paul stood up shakily, tearing the blade out of his corpse and then fell to his knees. His chest fell like he was about to burst, and he was barely holding on to Derflinger. For the corner of his eye, he saw that the light of the runes had returned to his normal intensity.

"Careful, partner. You borrowed too much power for the runes, far more that you could handle at this point."

"I can´t. I can´t. I have to… we have to leave this place." He said, and tried to stand up on shaking legs. He had to use one of the intact seat´s for support, but he managed it. Paul staggered towards the altar.

"Fine, but… take it easy, okay?"

"Okay." He responded, even though he didn´t know if he could do that or not. Louise was on the ground, at the top of the stairs, looking with wet eyes between him and Wardes corpse. When he took a step towards her, she scrambled back. Ah, really, he should have known. He reached the altar, and knelled besides Wales with her looking at him all the while. He tried to listen to his heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there. He put a hand on his shoulder, and shook him. "Wales, Wales, wake up."

Wales stirred, and looked at him through glazed eyes.

"What…?" He mumbled, and grimaced him pain.

"Wardes. He attacked you but he didn´t really get you. At least, I think so. I don´t know. Can you… Can you stand up?"

"It hurts."

"I know, but can you do it or not?"

"I-I think so." Wales said, but Paul helped him stand up anyway.

"What do we do now?" Paul asked.

"There… _The Eagle_. It will be launching soon, but not yet." Wales closed his eyes. "Just… help to the door. I need a water mage."

"Thank you." Paul said, and looked to the side. "Come on, master."

"Y-yes!" She squeaked out, stood up and followed after then. When they passed by Wardes corpse, she flinched and looked away. They left the chapel.

"Help!" Paul screamed. "Crown Prince Wales has been injured! Help!"

That stirred everybody out. Soon enough, soldiers came to the chapel for every side, holding candlesticks. They approached them.

"What happen?"

"Why is the Prince…?"

"What did you do?"

"Calm down." Wales said. "Calm down. I need a water mage; Paris, Francis… whoever."

One soldier stepped forward, took Wales for him and carefully set it against the wall. The soldier unbuttoned his shirt. It left barred a hole on his chest, sticky with dried blood. He signed in relief.

"Is not a bad wound, you are going to be fine."

"Good." Wales breathed out, as the water mage waved his wand around.

"What happened, your highness?"

"Yes, what happened?" Some soldier said for the crowd and he soon was echoed. "Did they…?"

"No, shut up." Wales responded. "Wardes… That Viscount… He was a traitor to the Tristain Kingdom. He tried to kill me."

That, of course, stirred out of the crowd to the point that Paul was afraid they would just lynch them and not wait for an explanation, but them Wales held up a hand, and they all fell silent.

"But that boy… that boy right there saved my life. They had nothing to do with that, so don´t even think about it." Wales signed. "Now… please… guide them to the _Eagle_."

"Yes, your highness!" The soldiers said, and three of them stepped forward, to Louise and Paul.

"Come on." One of them said. "We take you there."

They followed them.

"O-one last thing." Wales said, when they were about to turn the corner. They all turned to look back at him. He saw the water mage waving his wand again, and the blood spilling down his chest. "Tell… Tell Henrietta that Wales lived and die bravely."

Paul did not trust himself to speak, so he just nodded.

* * *

><p>The soldiers leaded them into the arbor, through maze-like corridors. Louise and Paul got on deck, and the ship departed through the hole below Albion, like before. He could see the sun on the horizon, and the cold, damp air hit his chest and flapped his clothes. They watched as rows on ships with cannons covered the clouds all headed to Albion, as the Eagle descent towards Tristain.<p> 


	8. Even His Falling

**Chapter 8**

_Even His Falling_

The Eagle took then back to the other port, and Louise bought a horse, and they rode until they stopped at a inn, just long enough to eat and replace the horse. When night fell, they stopped again, and slept at another inn, Louise on the bed and him on the floor. All the day, he had thought about her face, how she had scrambled away for him in pure terror back at the chapel and thought about talking with her about it, but he was not brave enough to do it. He himself still had doubts about what happened. Yes, it was kill or be killed-there was no doubt about that. But he had done it so easily…

He dreamed that night. He heard what he had said at the chapel, resonating in the darkness-shut up, shut the fuck up. I fucking kill you- again and again has he stabbed Derflinger through Wardes chest, and his movements grew weaker and his eyes glazed over with a quiet look of pure desperation. But when Wardes went limp, and he looked at him again he saw Guiche´s face. He spoke. The words sounded less like words and more like dirt gridding together-dirt for a grave. He said:

"Murder." And that was all. He waked up, half standing up with his heart pounding so hard it hurt, grasping at nothing. It took him a few seconds to calm down, to realize that both of them were dead, so there was nothing to fear. Still, he didn´t go back to sleep that night. He closed his eyes, and tossed and turned on the bed, yes, but sleep never came again.

At dawn, they left the inn, mounted on the horse and rode towards the academy. After a few hours, they reached it, entered and Louise went to put the horse on the stables. They went to the headmaster´s office, and reported on their mission. Louise did most of the talking, and Paul had to flesh up a few details-about Wardes, most of all. After that, the headmaster allowed them go and Louise headed straight to her room. She closed the door behind them, and signed.

"Master?"

"I am just tired, familiar. I need to sleep." Paul nodded, and reached for the buttons of her shirt, but she pushed his hand away.

"Don´t touch me!" Paul froze, and just stared at her. "I-I mean, don´t take it the wrong way or anything, but I do it myself."

"W-why?" Louise looked away, and bit her lip.

"I can do it myself." She repeated. "Is nothing, familiar. Don´t be so… dramatic. Just give my nightgown, okay?"

"Understood, Master." He said, went to the closet, took of the nightgown and gave it to her.

"Turn around, familiar." And Paul turned around. Behind him, he heard the rustle of clothing. Something fell on the floor. He dimly wondered if it was her shirt or her skirt, while he fidgeted in place. More rustle. Then: "You can turn back now."

He did. Louise was on the bed, covered by the sheets up to her neck. No a single part of her body was visible. It was not like he wanted anything different, but such a timid behavior coming for the same girl who had stood topless in front of him the very same day they had meet was strange.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ah, I am sorry."

"You better be." Her eyes narrowed.

Paul moved to his little corner, and sat on the hay pile. He wondered why she was acting like this. It didn´t make sense. A lot had happened, yes. She had nearly died, her fiancé had turned up to be a traitor and she had to watch how he killed him. But when he had killed Guiche, he still dressed and undressed her every day, and she had been close when he had killed him, closer that in the chapel. So why?

_Could it be because of what I said?_

That made sense. He had been different, back then or at least he had felt different. He could remember how he had screamed, the deep hatred that had boiled inside of it and the moment he had stabbed Wardes through the chest. Those glazed eyes, and the blood spilling for his mouth. He realized that she was afraid of him. Not sickened of what he had done, but afraid of him. He had been protecting her just as much as he had been protecting himself, yet she was afraid of him. Like the kitchen´s staff, and that nameless maid. He clenched his fits, laid down on the hay pile and tried to sleep.

* * *

><p>Somehow, he fell asleep. He didn´t dream anything, thought, but that was just as well. It was not like he could have dreamed anything good. At dawn, he woke Louise up and got her clothes for her, but she changed into the uniform herself. Classes went by with him sitting on the ground, until there was a knock on the door. The Water Magic teacher stopped the lecture and opened the door. Colbert strode into the room, excusing himself and stopping just right in front of him. He asked Louise if he could lead him to him. Paul didn´t expect her to deny a professor, but she didn´t even ask for a reason-she just nodded, so he had to stand up and follow Colbert. He leaded him to the courtyard, were there was an inactive airplane.<p>

"How… how did you get this?"

"For village called Tarbes, pretty close to the academy. There had been some rumors about it, and we thought that you would make it work. Do you recognize it?"

"Yes. It's an airplane, a war machine. Is quite common where I come from."

"From your world?" Paul stiffened.

"The headmaster told you, then."

"Yes." Colbert looked at the airplane, almost fondly. "Is weird, but when I am looking at it I can´t help but believe your story. The airplane is so out of this world... Anyway, would you try it?"

Paul stepped forward and touched the airplane. The runes shined brightly, and he suddenly knew this Zero Fighter, all about it. It was in condition to fly, but there was a problem, maybe an unsolvable problem. He went around the airplane with Colbert following him, and opened the fuel tank. There was some gasoline there, but very little.

"What is that? Oil?"

"No, Gasoline. Is what makes this thing work, but it doesn´t have enough for it to fly. We need more, enough to fill the fuel tank." Colbert took off a bottle, opened it and put it just under the fuel tank, making some of the gasoline drip down right inside. After a while, he separated the bottle for the fuel tank, and Paul closed it. "Why did you that?"

"Just a theory." Colbert signed. "We have never seen something like this before, but maybe… maybe I can replicate it. If I can do it, will you make it fly?"

"Why?"

"Uh?"

"Why do this? It doesn´t make sense. You just going and grabbing an artifact for a village, without reason…You expect me to believe that?"

Colbert looked and it in silence, look enough for Paul to think he was not budging, but then:

"The Princess wants you to use the airplane in the war with Albion."

"Do…" He clenched his fits. "Do I even have a choice?"

"You can just say no, and walk away. Even if I manage to replicate the gasoline, you are the only one who knows how to fly the airplane. But refusing a princess, even a princess as kind as Henrietta, is not wise."

"That is not a choice."

"I know." Paul looked away.

"Is there anything else?"

"No."

"Then, I am going."

* * *

><p>Classes were over for the day, so Paul headed to Louise´s room. He knocked, and waited to be let him. Louise told him to come in, and entered the room. As he close the door behind him saw, for the corner of his eye, that Louise was holding a letter. She hurriedly put the letter back on an envelope, and hid in one of the drawers of her desk. Paul went to his corner, and sat on the hay pile.<p>

"Familiar, what did Professor Colbert want?"

"He wanted to make use of my runes, to analyze an artifact he has taken an interest in."

"That weird thing in the courtyard?"

"Yes, master." Louise fell silent, and looked out of the window with misty eyes, a hand on her chin. Paul fidgeted on the hay pile.

"Is there something wrong, master?"

"No…" She sighed. "Ah, who I am kidding? Yes, there is something wrong. I am supposed to read an edict at the princess weeding, in which I give thanks to the four branches of magic poetically and in rhyme, but I can´t think of anything good. I am not a poet. But the weeding will be soon, and if I go without having writing something good enough it would be embarrassment to me and my family."

Paul fidgeted on the hay pile.

"Can I help you with it, master?"

"No." She said, sounding bitter and sighed. "But don´t worry. It will be… It will be…"

Then, she started crying and covered her face with her hands. Paul went to her side.

"Master, calm down, there is still plenty of time…"

"Is not about that, you stupid familiar." Louise said, between hiccups. "Is not about that, okay? So shut up."

"But..."

"Shut up!" Paul took a step back.

"I am sorry, Master." He said, looking down and went back to the hay pile. Paul looked at her for a moment, then turned away and stared in front of him, trying not to think about the reason she was like that, or that not only he could hear her crying but he could see her shaking for the corner of his eye. She eventually calmed down, thought he couldn´t say how much time had passed. After that, she took off a notebook and a plume for a drawer of her desk, and started on her homework like nothing had happened.

* * *

><p>Next day, Colbert informed him that he had managed to replicate the gasoline. He filled up four bottles with it. They tested it, and the engine started. It couldn´t actually fly yet, it needed far more gasoline, but it was a good begin as any other. Several days later, Colbert asked him-in the middle of his class- to meet him in the courtyard at night. Louise had gone to the library to borrow some books for the next exam, so he sneaking away was easier that he thougth. He had to wait a bit before Colbert showed up. He gave him the directions to Tarbes, and Paul went into the cockpit as the professor filled the fuel tank. Paul released the brakes, and took off with the help of wind magic to propel it. It took him little more than half an hour to reach Tarbes, and beyond the windshield he saw the Tristain troops and fleet assembled. He saw Henrietta and the same old man that had be at her side during the familiar exhibition, and landed the Zero Fighter near then. Then, they waited.<p>

"A fleet! From the left!" Paul looked to the left, and saw a massive ship in front, so large it nearly covered the ships behind it and the dragons floating at their side ridden by humans. Reconquista. They descended until they were on level with Tristain´s fleet.

"We thank you for your fleet's welcome. This is the captain of Albion's Lexington."

"We give you our warmest welcome. This is the commander in chief of the Tristain fleet."

And then, the Lexington fired its cannons. Paul flinched, and nearly made the airplane took off but he soon realized that the rounds had not gone towards them. It was a salute, not an offensive move.

"Fire eleven rounds in response." They fired the rounds, one by one, and they harmlessly exploded in the skies. "What? A fire? Was it an accident?"

Paul looked around, and saw that a small ship at the end of Albion´s fleet had started to burn. The flames extended, and the ship exploded right in front of their eyes. A flag was lifted for the Lexington, and there was something written on it that he could not see properly, much less read.

"The fire from my ship was a response to your salute. The salvo didn't contain any live shells."

"Your ship's attack used live ammunition." Paul stirred, and took off to the skies with the airplane. "We shall return your intent of war."

The Lexington bombarded the Tristanian troops, and Paul barely managed to slip out of the way of the rounds.

"Full speed ahead! Prepare the right cannons!" The dragons flew towards the Tristain army, and Paul headed towards then. When he came close enough, he filled a dragon and his rider with bullets. The next dragon breathed fire at him, but he dodged him a ripped his stomach with the rounds. It fell, and he could hear the rider scream as he advanced. Four more dragons stood in his way, but he just maneuvered behind the dragons and opened fire. They all spiraled down, their scream´s mixing with each other, and the cacophony of the gunfire.

"Unbelievable!" Paul turned around, startled and saw Louise´s head popping out from the gap between the seat and the rest of the plane. "These Albion dragons are reputed to be unrivaled yet they're dropping like flies!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Louise flinched. "Didn´t you say you were scared, that you hated all of this?"

"Don't take that tone with me. As my familiar, you are my responsibility. No matter how much I hate this, I can´t stand the thought that you would die."

"So what? What if you die here, needlessly?"

"You don´t understand. I…" He dodged the fire of another dragon, and hit it in its wings, to not waste ammunition. The dragon screamed, and spiraled down. That was the last of the dragons, so he turned the airplane towards the massive warship, Lexington. If he took it down, everything could end. No more deaths. No more villagers caught in the middle, their homes destroyed, their lives twisted. No more.

There was just one blind spot, one chance, so he took it. He flew above the ship, while dodging gunfire. He killed all the people on the deck in a flash; they didn´t even have time to move before they were mowed down. Paul opened fire on the warship, hoping to make the ship go down because of structural damage. Nothing.

"Paul, open the canopy and circle around the Lexington until I give you a signal, okay?"

"What?"

"Partner, listen to her." Derflinger said.

"…Fine." He opened it, and a strong wind blew across his face. It was hard to keep his eyes open. For the corner of his eye, he saw Louise stand up, a book opened on her left hand and her wand on the other. Then, she started chanting. It an odd rhythm to him that made his heart beat faster, but he still concentrated on avoiding the fire for the ships while circling around the Lexington. After a few minutes, Louise swung her wand down, just besides his head. Then, there was an explosion that blinded him for a moment, and when he could see again the fleet was on fire. It came crashing down, making the earth tremble, destroying trees and corps and tearing off grass. It started a fire. "What… What is this?"

"Void." Louise said, coldly. "That is what it is."

Paul landed the plane away for the battle, trying to hide the trembling of his hands.

* * *

><p>The Tristain army took care of those who survived the explosion, and Louise and Paul went back to the academy on the Zero Fighter. Soon enough, Henrietta was hailed as a saint for leading her army into victory against a vastly superior force, and she got crowed Queen not long after. A week after the battle, she called them to her room on the palace. Henrietta led them a carriage, and they went to the capital. Paul followed Louise through the streets and the palace. A butler leaded them to her chamber´s, left and Louise knocked on the door. Henrietta let them inside.<p>

"Ah, Louise, thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me, your majesty." She responded.

"Oh, please… at least call me Henrietta."

"Uh, but…" Louise sighed. "Fine, Henrietta. What did you want to talk about?"

"About the battle of Tarbes, of course. I want to ask you something: were you there with your familiar? Did you make that explosion that won us the battle?"

"I… yes."

"Thank you, Louise."

"It was my duty."

"Thank you, anyway." Henrietta said, smiled and then faced Paul. He stiffened. "I know I imposed on you, and I am sorry. But you flew in that war machine; you killed the dragon corps of Albion singlehandedly and supported Louise. Your bravery and loyalty should be rewarded. I want to grant you the title of Chevalier, like you deserve, but I can´t do it, despite being the queen. But if there is anything you want, I will ensure you get it."

Paul wondered if it was a good idea or not, then realized that regardless of that it was his best chance by far and he was not going to let it go.

"There is something I want, your majesty."

"What is it?"

"I am not for this world." He saw the look on Henrietta´s face, and quickly said: "I am not crazy; Osmond and Colbert can confirm my history."

"They… didn´t tell me anything about that."

"That´s because I told them that after the defeat of Fouquet. Look, you don´t even have to believe, just humor me, okay?" Henrietta nodded. "I want you to help me go back to my world, your majesty."

"I will try, sir familiar." Paul saw Louise opening and closing her mouth, once. Maybe she wanted to ask what the hell that was about being for another world.

"Thank you." Henrietta turned back to Louise.

"As for you, Louise, I am sorry but I can´t reward you either. Do you understand why?"

"You know about the Void, right?"

"Yes. Headmaster Osmond told me about the runes of your familiar, and what do they mean. Gandálfr, the Left Hand of God. If I rewarded you, your services would be exposed. If anybody learned about your secret, they only want your power for themselves. Is too dangerous to reveal it; there are people like that even inside the palace."

"Don´t worry, Henrietta. I will dedicate my Void to you."

"I want to say no, that such a thing is not necessary. Believe me." She sighed. "But as things are, I can´t turn your offer away. Sorry. You are my dearest friend, but in the end I only cause you trouble."

"That´s not true"

"See?" Henrietta giggled, thought Paul could have sworn that it sounded bitter. "Anyways, thank you. I will leave the Founder´s Praying Book to you. Also, I have registered you as my court lady."

"What? Henrietta, but… but…"

"No, Louise. You deserve it." She took something a piece of parchment for her pocket, and gave it too Louise. "This is the authorization."

"Thank you." Louise said, blushing heavily. "Is there… anything else?"

"No. You can go now." Louise bowed to the queen, and they both left the room.

* * *

><p>They went back to the academy on Henrietta's carriage, and resumed their normal lives. There was still some awkwardness between them, but besides that everything was good. At the end of the week, someone knocked at the door as Louise was doing her homework. She looked annoyed, but she went to open the door anyway. There were two men that he didn´t recognize.<p>

"We are soldiers of her majesty, Queen Henrietta." The one of the left said. Louise looked at then for a moment.

"Come in." She said. They did, and Louise closed the door behind them. "What do you want here?"

They ignoring her, and approached him.

"You are her familiar?"

"Yes." Paul said, and then pushed himself to his feet. "What is going on?"

One of them grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and turned him around. He heard the click of handcuffs. Shit. He had believed them, just like that and now he was trapped. But he still could reach and draw Derflinger, and two thugs were not match against the power of the Gandálfr runes.

"Hey, hey, stop! What are you doing to my familiar?"

"Paul Davis, familiar of Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, you are hereby arrested for the murder of Guiche de Gramont, son of General Gramont." Paul froze out. He was catching up to him; the dead always did. "You will be executed at noon."

The other soldier put a hand on his shoulder, and together they dragged him towards the door. Louise got in their way, arms extended to the sides.

"Wait, wait, this is too soon. I wasn´t even notified…"

"The trial finished just today; your family will fill you the rest of the details. Don´t worry. You can repeat the familiar summoning."

"That´s…" She cut herself off, looked down and stepped aside. The soldier dragged him out of the room, and through the academy. The student's didn´t say a thing, but he saw Montmorency smile as he went past. When they reached the courtyard, he thought about just killing them and escaping. Anything was better that putting his fate in the hands of Queen Henrietta; she could just bend over for the majority, no matter what he done for her. But what could that change? Even if managed to escape, what then? He would be a fugitive, always followed, with little to no chance of making it back home. It´s future was already over. But…

His head hurt suddenly, so much he nearly passed out and when he could think clearly again two more soldiers were grabbing him and he fell dizzy. He was trowed inside a carriage, and watched as one of the soldiers sat beside him, a sword on his hand. Paul tried to move, to draw Derflinger, but he passed out.

* * *

><p>He stirred awake, and he saw the palace right in front of him. Paul tried to plead with the soldiers, but they didn´t even bother to reply to him. They dragged him inside the palace, and took him into a cell, the handcuffs still tight around his wrists. One of them closed the door, and they all left in there, pleading until he could not hear their footsteps. Then, he held himself against the wall, and waited. In an hour, he was already hungry but he didn´t brother to ask for food. They couldn´t listen, anyway. Several hours later-god knows how many-some others soldiers came, and dragged him away for the small and dusty cell to his death.<p>

It was a hall, with rows of seats filled up by nobles and a throne at the far end in which Queen Henrietta sat, holding a staff that rested on her lap. He didn't miss the look of shame she gave him, but he ignored it anyway. That same old man he had seen with Henrietta at the familiar exhibition and the battle of Tarbes stepped forward.

"We are reunited here for the execution of Paul Davis, familiar of Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, who has been found guilty of the murder of Guiche de Gramont, son of General Gramont." One soldier drew his sword, and the other soldiers forced Paul to his knees. He made sure to stare at his executioner eyes directly. "It happened during a duel this familiar instigated, and like our Founder Brimir taught us, the seeds of our actions shall bear fruit, whatever we like it or not. This… is justice."

The soldier stepped close to him, and raised the sword above his head.

"No!" Somebody screamed, and when Paul turned to look, he saw Louise running towards them and ascending the stairs. He clearly heard Karin telling her to back, but she ignored her. All of them didn´t seem to know how to react; they just froze. "Unhand the Gandálfr, now!"

Everybody went utterly still for a moment, and then the crowd went into a frenzy. They stood up for their seats and roared, their voices mixing so much that what they said was nearly pure gibberish. Henrietta stood up for her throne, staff in hand.

"Louise, please, please, calm down. I understand what you are going through, but don't make a scene…"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Henrietta took a step back, and Louise turned towards the crowd. "Listen to me! My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, and I am a Void Mage!"

Silence, again. Some of them even fell back into their seats. For the corner of his eye, he saw Henrietta´s staff slip out of her hands.

"This man here, the one you tried to execute, is my partner, the Gandálfr, the left hand of Founder Brimir himself. And I am the inheritor of his power, his will! _I_ was the one that destroyed Albion´s fleet, not her! " Louise took a deep breath, and screamed: "Obey me!"


	9. In His Flight

**Chapter 9**

_In His Flight_

The silence was thick as Louise coldly looked at the crowd, expecting the answer to her command. Paul saw one of the few seated man stand up. He was an elegantly dressed blonde, too similar too Guiche to be anybody but his father. Shit.

"Shut up!" He screamed, and every head in the hall turned towards him. Paul saw Karin´s eyes narrow. "Shut up! I don´t care! He killed my son, so I kill him!"

And then he drew his sword. The nobles close to him gave him a wide berth and some of them even backed away for him as must as they could, but nobody tried to stop him. Karin stood up for her sheath, and pointed her wand at General Gramont.

"Stop!" She screamed, and Gramont turned towards her, brandishing a wand on his other hand. They stared at each other in silence.

"Stop! Stop! Both of you!" Henrietta screamed. Gramont was still aiming at her, but Karin let her wand drop to the ground just like that. Gramont´s wand shook in his hand, and for a moment Paul thought he was going to try to kill Karin anyway, but he too dropped his wand. They both turned to look at Henrietta, as she approached Louise. "I just have to say one thing on this matter: it's true. This young man carries the Gandalf runes, and that makes Louise Valliére a Void Mage, like she says. And, like she said, she is the one that burned down Albion´s fleet, the only reason we survived on that day and we remain free. I am just a… powerless queen. So… So…"

She turned to face Louise, and knelled in front of her while the crowd looked on, utterly speechless.

"My only right to the crowd is the right the royal families were given by Founder Brimir, so I am not giving anything, just returning it." Henrietta said, took off the crown for head and presented it to Louise. She took it, and put in on her own head. It didn´t quite fit her, but nobody could have dared to laugh at this point.

A new Queen had been crowed.

* * *

><p>When the hall had been cleared out of nobles, Louise sent the soldiers away. Then, she moved impassibly under the stares of all three of them, and picked out Henrietta´s staff. She was in a simply dress, but still she looked every bit the queen she now was.<p>

"Why did you do that, Henrietta?" The old man called out to the former queen. Louise looked at him for the corner of her eye, but didn´t nothing more. "This… This is just…"

"Wrong? No, Cardinal, it was the only thing I could do. I… I nearly got this young man killed, and you expected me to bear Louise´s death in my conscience too?" Henrietta effusively shook her head. "No. No. I did the right thing."

The Cardinal sighed.

"Romalia is not going to like this."

"They will." Louise butted it, and the Cardinal narrowed his eyes at her. "What I said is true, and Headmaster Osmond, Professor Colbert and Henrietta will butch for me. There are enough details that me being a Void Mage is undeniable, so Romalia will end up accepting it."

"True? You…"

"Shut up, Mazarin." Louise cut him off. "I read it straight for the Founder´s Prayer Book. Even Henrietta is telling you that I said the truth. Who are you to deny the word of Founder Brimir? ? Who are you to deny even a former queen´s word?"

"Anybody can be deceived, even a queen. And I don´t trust you, at all."

"Cardinal!" Henrietta said. "Stop! I gave her my crown willingly. You shall serve her like you served me."

"Is fine, Henrietta" Louise said. "This is my kingdom now, and he will have to deal with it. Like everybody else."

She tapped the staff on the ground, like a cane, and walked away. Paul looked back once, and then followed her in silence. In a few minutes, Louise stopped in front of a big, wooden door and opened it with her free hand. It was Henrietta´s chambers-a giant bed out of the side, purple curtains on the window of the balcony and several pictures with golden frames hanging for the walls. Louise signed, put the staff on the top of a desk and sat on the other side of the bed, her back facing towards him and looked through the window. Paul approached her.

"Why… Why did you do that?"

"It was my only option. They couldn´t have listened to me otherwise."

"No, no, it didn´t mean that. Just… you could have just stayed quiet, let them kill me, get another familiar and not get into anything more complicated… and you saved me anyway. Why?"

"You are my familiar, my responsibility. I can´t let you die."

"Responsibility can´t possibly be worth that much."

"Fine." She said after a moment, and sighed. "I-I don´t dislike you. You supported me when it mattered, so I couldn´t just let you die." Then, bitterly: "Are you happy now?"

"Sorry. I shouldn´t have asked."

"Master."

"What?"

"Call me master."

"…Sorry, master."

"Don't worry about it." She took off her shoes, and curled herself into a ball. "You know, I didn´t plan to do anything at first. All through Mazarin´s speech I expected Henrietta to interrupt him, to send you to prison instead of letting them execute you. I waited for it, the soldier raised his sword above your head… and she didn´t do anything. That´s when I understood that I was the only one willing to save you; that my childhood friend could allow that something like that happen right before her eyes. I fell empty, just empty; first Wardes, and now her. I… I don´t know who I can trust anymore."

"You can trust me, Master." Paul said, and Louise looked up to him in surprise. "I will not leave, nor betray you. I am your familiar."

"I…" She looked away, blushing slightly. "Thank you. A-anyway, make sure to get a good rest. Tomorrow, we are heading to the town square. I want to… present myself. "

"Yes, master." He said, and walked away towards his little corner.

"What are you doing?" Paul stopped.

"I was going to sleep for a bit, master."

"This bed is big enough for both of us, familiar." For a moment, he couldn´t believe what she had said. Not because he had imagined anything weird, but because he had thought that she was still, deep down, afraid of him.

"Are… Are you sure, master?"

"Yes." Louise stirred. "But it will be just for today, so don´t get any ideas. I will make them get you your own bed as soon as possible."

"Understood, master." He said, got into the bed, turned away for Louise and closed his eyes. He heard her covering herself with the blankets, and fell her back press against his. She was trembling. Ah, so that´s why. She was afraid of the possible repercussions of what she did, despite what she had so brazenly told Marazin and how she acted until now.

She really was more fragile that she looked.

* * *

><p>When he waked up in the morning, Louise was already awake, fully dressed and her staff in hand. They went out of the palace, and at the entrance the same carriage Henrietta had used in the familiar exhibition was waiting for them, two soldiers on each side of it. They got inside, and rode to the town square. A crowd was there, just in front of a pulpit. Louise got out the carriage and to the pulpit, while the crowd looked on, and Paul and the soldiers followed her.<p>

"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, a Void Mage and as of now I am your new Queen." Silence was the only response. She gestured towards him. "This person here is the Gandálfr, the left hand of Founder Brimir himself and my partner. You may have some misgivings, but this is how it is and this is how it will remain."

"Lies!" Somebody screamed. Paul stiffened, put a hand behind his back, and searched for the voice, but it was lost in the crowd.

"The former Queen, Henrieta herself knelled to me and gave me her crown. She can butch that what I say is the truth, as can Osmond, the head master of the Tristainian Academy of Magic. Think what you want, but truth prevails." She swept her gaze through the crowd. "Now, I understand that the commoners here don´t really care about any of this. It doesn´t matter who holds the crown, when you struggle to survive every day, anyway. You think that´s never going to change, but it will. A Valliére has assumed the throne, so everybody will be treated like they deserve. No more ignoring the laws just because nobles are nobles. Justice will be made."

The people looked uneasily between each other, like they couldn´t believe it. And they really couldn´t-the nobles were born in power, and the majority of commoners were treated far worse than him. He still remembered how Guiche had hit that maid, in the middle of a courtyard packed with students, and they did not even try to stop him. It was how just how the world was.

For the corner of his eye, Paul saw a man making his way through the crown. He waited, eyes narrowed, preparing to draw Derflinger and dealt with him if he did anything stupid. That man suddenly stopped, and lifted his hand. The cold metal of a gun gleamed in the sun. Paul opened his mouth to scream a warning, but it was drowned out by the shot. He watched, paralyzed, as the bullet hit Louise on the gut. She put a hand on her stomach, which was soon stained by the blood flowing for the wound. He was dimly aware of the screams, and the fight that had broken out in the crowd. Louise staggered forward, and fell out of the pulpit. She hit the ground with a crouching noise.

Paul unsheathed Derflinger, and jumped out of the pulpit. When he landed, his knees popped like firecrackers. He knelled beside Louise, and picked her up. The wound didn´t seem bad, but he didn´t knew anything about that so his opinion didn´t matter anyway. He had to get her out of there, fast. Something hit in on the back of his head, and he flinched. The crowd had started to throw rocks and dirt and anything they could find at each other. Two of the soldiers went past him to stop the fighting, and the other two followed him into the carriage. He settled Louise down on the backseat, and pressed her hand down to reduce the blood flow as they rode for the palace.

* * *

><p>When the carriage came to a stop in front of the palace, Paul picked Louise up again and kicked the door open. They hurried inside, and he screamed that the queen had been shot, that they needed a water mage until his throat felt raw. A man with bright, yellow hair and a simple white shirt came for around the corner, looked at Louise once, and nodded. He said he was a water mage, and together they went to Louise´s chambers. Paul sent her down on the bed. The man looked at her, grimaced and waved his wand around, muttering a spell.<p>

In the middle of his chant, there was a loud bang. Paul looked back, and saw Henrietta, pale and breathing raggedly. She looked at Louise, at covered her hands with her mouth, her eyes moistening.

"Is she…" She whispered, her voice nearly breaking. "Is she going to be all right, Edwin?"

Edwin finished his chant, then:

"Yes. The musket ball didn´t hit anything important, and stopping the bleeding is not an issue. If they had taken too much time in getting here, it could have been different, but they were fast. So relax, your ma… miss. She is going to be all right." He signed. "Now, please, let me work."

"Ah, yes. Sorry." Edwin took a flask of purplish liquid for the pocket of his shirt, and opened it. It filled the room with a disgusting stench, but he didn´t even seem to notice it.

"All right, I am not going to lie: this is going to hurt. But you have to deal with it; is not going to last long." Louise sent him a hazy look, and nodded. Then, Edwin poured the liquid right in her wound. Louise try to hold it back, but she screamed at the top of her lungs, writhing in pain. Paul grimaced, and looked away. It was already hard to watch, but knowing that she was there, laying on the bed, feeling the heat and the pain was only because she had save him made it unbearable. He turned his head around when the scream stopped.

She was gasping, beats of sweat running down her face, but she was not moving. The bleeding had stopped. Her dress just had dark patches, and when he looked towards the water mage he saw that he had a napkin stained with blood on his other hand

"I am done here." He said and put the bottle of liquid back on his pocket. "I wait an hour or so here, just to see if she worsens, but is highly unlikely."

Then, he sat down on a nearby chair, and they all waited together.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Louise wound had closed and nothing else happened. Paul let out a deep breath; she was going to live through his, all right. Edwin stood up, nodded to her, then to Henrietta and left the room, and the two soldiers followed suit, leaving all three of them in an awkward silence.<p>

"Louise?" Henrietta said. "I am sorry."

"What for?"

"For this. Is my fault it happened. If I hadn´t…"

"If you hadn´t not given me the crown, I would be dead, as well as my familiar. This is not your fault."

"No, I didn´t mean that. If… If I acted differently, if I didn´t bend because of Mazarin and the other nobles, if I had chosen to be a good friend instead of a ruler, this couldn´t not have happened to you."

"Yeah, well." Louise sneered. "Too late for that."

Henrietta fidgeted.

"You have to understand, Louise. I had to be a good ruler, for my mother and my father. And I feared the backlash, not only for me but for Tristain, that could happen if I didn´t listen. I never wanted to do it, but I had to."

"It was your responsibility, I know that. You think I don´t know that?" Louise sighed. "Look… You had to do it, and I had to do what I did. Let´s leave it at that."

"…Okay." Henrietta said. "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine, actually. Is just a dull throbbing now. It doesn´t even hurt that much."

"Oh. That's good, that's really good." She stood up. "I will leave now. Just... call me if you need anything at all, okay?"

"Okay." Louise said, and nodded. Henrietta stood up, smiling weakly, and left the room. When Paul stopped hearing her footsteps, Louise picked up the pillow and threw it. He watched it spin twice over his head, and crash into an expensive looking basin. It wobbled, and fell to the ground, breaking. It sounded as loud as a gunshot.

Paul stared at her. She leaned back down on the bed, and breathed in and out, trying to calm herself down.

"Sorry." She said, breathlessly. "Please, call somebody for the cleaning staff to pick up the pieces. Or do it yourself, whatever. Just make sure that it gets cleaned up."

"Understood, master." He said, left the room, looking for a maid or a butler. He found one butler idly cleaning the dust for a desk, after three or four corridors, talked to him and together they went back to Louise´s chambers. The butler swiped the shards of the basin, put them all in a box and went out to throw the pieces on the trash and go back to his job. Paul sat again on the chair. Sometime later, he noticed that Louise had fallen sleep. An hour or so more, and he himself dozed off on his seat.

* * *

><p>The man that had shot Louise was executed the next day, at dawn, in the same hall that Paul had nearly died in. He was there to see him, at Louise´s side. Mazarin made the speech, and one of the soldiers beheaded him. The head fell and rolled on the ground, spreading a trail of blood over the red carpet. Nobody blinked, not even Louise. She just gripped the staff harder, and stared at the scene. The nobles went out the room, and the soldiers carried the body and his head off the room, to the morgue or to his family or maybe only to throw the corpse in a ditch somewhere. After that, they went back to Louise´s chambers. She was better that before, much better, but still it was unwise to over extern herself too much at this point.<p>

Henrietta came into the room hours later, with a letter on her hand. Louise looked at her, then at the letter, then back at her.

"Romalia?" She asked.

"Yes." Henrietta said, as she approached Louise. She took the letter for the former queen´s hands, opened and read it. By the end of it, she was frowning, and she looked sickly. They had not taken it well, then. Paul had not expected anything different, not since he saw Henrietta so hurried, but it was still worrying. Louise sent the letter down on the bed. Then she breathed deeply, once. Just once. Some color returned to her face, but not much.

"Master?"

"I am fine, familiar." She sighed. "Don´t worry."

"What was in the letter?" He asked, even though he pretty much knew it already. She was avoiding telling it what happened, and that worried him even more.

"They didn´t liked any of it, at all. Romalia... Romalia has scheduled a trial. For both of us."

"Do we have to listen to them, master?"

"Yes. For too many reasons. Is Romalia, and that is the real problem. We could take them in a fight, of course. But I am not even sure if ours soldiers could fight against Romalia, even if I ordered them to do it. Or Henrietta. Or her mother."

"Why?"

"Because it is where the Pope is elected, and where he resides. Some people think that is sacrilegious to go against Romalia because of that. Nobody dares to go against what Founder Brimir wanted."

"What are we going to do, then, master?"

"Go, and hope for the best. We don´t have any other choice." She put the letter back on the envelope, and left it on the nightstand.

* * *

><p>Paul waked up, and saw Louise, dressed in her royal dress and that purple mantle over her shoulders. Henrietta was at the door, looking at her. He stood up. They heard that, and turned towards him. He saw their expressions of surprise and dismay, and he felt his his chest tighten.<p>

"Was going on?"

"Nothing." Louise said, curly. "Go back to sleep, familiar."

"Please, master. Don´t lie to me."

"Louise..." Henrietta mumbled, looking between her and him.

"Shut up, Henrietta." She said, without even looking at her

"Look, don´t tell me anything if you don´t want to. I don´t care. But let me go with you... to do whatever you are doing."

"Just shut up." She bit back, blushing a bit. "Don´t you get that I am doing something dangerous, that I doing this for your sake? Just shut up and wait for all of this to be over."

"Albion has broken the peace treaty." Louise froze. "We are under attack."

She sharply turned back to Henrietta, her free hand on her hip.

"Henrietta!"

"Sorry, Louise, but he at least deserves to know." Henrietta looked at him. "She is planning on holding back the army, all by herself, to give us a chance to retreat. But... she is not going to survive. She just can´t."

Paul froze. She was going to die. The girl who had enslaved him and dragged him into a warzone, twice, was going to die. But she was also the girl who had cried in front of him, instead of in front of her own fiancé. She had saved in the battle of Albion, and had saved him for execution, putting her life in danger, because she cared about him as much as because he was her familiar. He... didn´t know what to feel.

"Why?" Louise screamed. "Why did you have to tell him? I shouldn´t have trusted you!"

He felt his lips moving, as in a dream:

"I do it." Paul said. The room fell into a sudden, heavy silence. "I will hold the army back."

"What... What are you saying?" Louise said, and then laughed. "That´s... I won´t allow you to do that."

He had already made up his mind. It was a choice he already made, long ago, just even more restricted. Without Louise protection, he was as good as dead, so he had to take the suicidal mission. Again. However, he was far for stupid. He didn´t plan to die.

"I am the Gandálfr." He said. "I am the left hand of god. Of course I will do it. I have to do it."

"Are you even listening to me? You won´t, you won´t, you won´t!"

"I am just holding the army back, okay? I won´t die." He feel a headache growing, but he tried to ignore it. "I retreat as soon as I can. Please, master."

Louise bowed her head, for a moment, and then lifted it again.

"Fine. But we will go. Both of us." He was about to say no, that she shouldn´t risk herself, but thought better of it. Part of it was that he didn´t want to die, but mostly it was that, together, they could actually manage it. No just holding the army back, but killing them all.

"Understood, master."

* * *

><p>The <em>Redoubtable<em> had taken them to a little hill, and went back. Now, they stood together, alone, waiting for the army.

"You know..." Louise mumbled. "I don´t want this, even now. The mission in Albion showed me the truth; that proving myself was not worth going that far. But... I am dead. I am dead since Henrietta gave me the crown. I threw my life away on that day. So... this doesn´t even matter. I just wish... that you didn´t have to this."

"Don´t talk like that. You said it yourself, that you have inherited Brimir´s power. We can do this. I might not be likely, but we can do this. I am the Gandálfr, a familiar of legend and you are a mage of legend. Even this... Even this is nothing."

"Idiot." She smiled, softly. "Do you think I can´t see you shaking?"

Paul looked down on himself. It was true. His whole body was shaking, like it was made of lead. Eh, how uncool.

"Ah... This is just... just..."

"That you don´t want to die. Don´t lie. I get it." Louise grabbed his hand in hers, and squeezed it. Her hand was shaking, too. Just a little bit. "See? You don´t have to pretend. I know what is coming, and I have already accepted it since the moment Henrietta came to warm me. So don´t be stupid. Say it."

"I... I don´t want to die."

"Good." She squeezed his hand, again. "That´s good."

On the top of the grassland, he saw the army approaching them. Paul stepped forward, and drew Derflinger for his sheath. The runes blazed. He felt strong, stronger that anybody else, even while he saw the vague shapes of the army coming closes and closer.

"Hey, Paul." He froze. It was the first time she had called him by his name. "Don´t die."

"I won´t." Paul said, through its suddenly dry throat, and roared, charging to meet the advancing army as Louise started to chant behind him. He crossed the distance in an instant and tore through the troops of Albion, Louise´s chant making his heart beat wildly. Men screamed and died all around him, as he ducked away for a few musket shots, and trusted Derflinger to adsorb the magic trowed at him. He felt the sword growing hot with all that suppressed energy, but he held on to him. After a while, the soldiers thought clearly again and stopped shooting at him, but the mages still launched spells at him, some of which he barely managed to dodge. He didn´t even feel his wounds, but even the power of the Gandálfr runes could not keep his body up forever.

Then, he feel that feeling inside of him stop, that rush Louise´s chant had given him.

"Move!" Louise screamed, but he was already moving. He jumped to the side, dodging swords as spells. Some lucky bastard got him right in the shoulder, just before he escaped. Then, the world exploded. He was launched various meters through the air by the force of Louise´s spell, but he somehow managed to hold on to Derflinger.

When he looked back to that army of thousands, he saw a total disaster. The grassland was burned in a big circle, and the group was littered with the corpses of the soldiers and their mounts, some of them those he had killed but mostly just the victims of the explosion. Some of the horses that had not been reached by the explosion had run away in fear, throwing the rider to the ground.

_Void. That is what it is._

He stood up and rushed back into the fight. The army was confused and terrified, so they became easier prey. Some of the managed to reach him with their swords and spells, but they were less accurate that before. Paul could not even fell his left arm, and he was losing a lot of blood, but he still charged forward. He didn´t feel fear, not even hate for the enemy or a desperate wish for his death to have meaning. He just carried on, while surrounded for all sides.

Ahead of him, he saw a group of mages around a person. So many, for just a single person. That meant he was of high rank. If he managed to kill him, that could father stall the army. He charged towards him. As he approached, the man in that circle set a wind spell against him. He barely managed to do it, but he did it. Just a little more.

The soldiers surrounding that person sent bolts of magic towards him, and while he managed to dodge some of them the majority managed to hit him. At that instant, he fell like all the wounds he had suffered in the battle relighted, but he carried on. He closed on the group of mages, and drove Derflinger through that man´s chest. He gasped, and his mouth filled with blood. Paul got his sword back, and the man fell to the ground, dead. Then, he fell to his knees. The pain was just too much; even Louise second chant, which still continued, couldn´t make him move. It was over. Everything was over.

Paul passed out.


	10. Caged Heat

**Chapter 10**

_Caged Heat_

Paul Davis waked up. He felt himself laying on a soft bed, and saw an unfamiliar ceiling, with a lamp hanging for it. The light was hitting him directly, making his eyes sting, and he had to half close them to see well. Paul looked to the side, intending to see where he had ended up exactly, and he saw a tall, blonde girl whose hair covered her ears completely sitting at his bedside. She wore a skimpy, green dress, showing a lot of cleavage, a lot of thigh, a lot of everything, so tight that it was a wonder her massive breasts didn´t break it. It was also painfully clear that she was not wearing a bra. The girl noticed his movement, smiled softly, and clapped.

"Ah, you are all right! Thanks goodness! It looked so bad that I thought you couldn´t do it, but you did!"

Paul opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the only thing that left his throat was a dry gasp.

"Uh… Are you thirsty?" She said, a look of puzzlement on her face. Paul nodded, slowly and she beamed. The girl looked to the side, and with a bit of effort he followed her gaze. There was a plate full of food and a glass of water at the nightstand and he watched as she picked it up, and looked back at him. She drew the glass to his lips, and he let her help him without protest. He drank the water in one shot, and afterwards his throat fell cleaned. Maybe not any better, but cleaned. He tried to say something, again.

"Who… Who are…" He gasped, and soon his gasp descent into a coughing fit. The girl patted him on the back as long as it coughing lasted, but he barely noticed it. Every cough set his chest on fire.

"Don´t talk, okay? For now, at least. I did my best, but you were… you were bad. So don´t force yourself, okay?" Paul nodded, tears in his eyes, because of the pain and because he felt like a baby, a real baby, so weak he couldn´t even speak properly. He thought about asking her for a piece of paper, but then he remembered that he didn´t knew how to write their language. Paul gestured at himself, hoping the girl could get it.

"Do you… Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Paul effusively shook his head, blushing at the very thought of that girl, of any girl really, helping him to the bathroom-that this girl apparently thought he was so weak that he needed the help was humiliating enough- and standing close to him just in case he fell or something while he had his pants down. "Are you hungry?"

He shook his head, again, and gestured at himself, then at her. He just wanted to know what happened, how the hell he was alive. It should have been the first thing anybody could think.

"I don´t get it." The girl said, and pouted. Paul sighed. Then, he opened his mouth and mouthed his question. The poor girl looked as confused as before. That´s was when Paul remembered that it all a translation spell, and he didn´t really speak the language. He was doing it in English, not it Halkagenian, and the fucking spell apparently couldn´t help him with that. Shit. "Did you want to know what happened to you?"

Paul nodded, thankful.

"One of the orphans found you, and brought you here. You were… a real mess. Then, I healed you as best as I could, but even magic as limits. I had begun to think that while your body was fine, you couldn´t never waked up. You were here for weeks." Paul looked down at himself, at for the first time he noticed the bandages on his body. He gulped, remembering the pain, remembering that yes, he really had be about to die, no joke. "And now… well, you know. What´s wrong?"

Paul looked up at her again, and realized he was crying. He felt a little bit ashamed, but he couldn´t help himself. It was like he was at the grassland again, facing that massive army with Louise behind him. He remembered that cacophony of spells, and shots, and the sound of his heart beating wildly against his chest, like a beast out of control. And his falling. Going for the darkness of the night to the dark of nothingness. He started shaking hard, so hard he was only vaguely aware than that girl had embraced him, and when he felt her hands stroking his hair softly, he at last found his voice.

Paul screamed.

* * *

><p>It took him a long time to calm down, while the girl embraced him, patted his back and stroked his hair, but he did. It was a reaction that he wanted to forget as soon as possible, but still, he felt much better now. He was just a stranger, but the girl not only saved his life, but also took time to comfort it. It was a nice change of peace, for once. He could get used to this.<p>

When they had hear him screaming, children rushed to the door, asking questions at the same time, had he cached the girl´s name among all that noise-Tiffania. She hushed them, and carried on. A minute later or so, he stopped screaming. He was still crying, but not that much. Paul leaned back down on the bed and tried to apologize to her, but it came out so low that he barely heard it himself. She said something that he did not hear to the children, and they went back. Then, she closed the door.

"D-derflinger…"

"Uh, what?"

"M-my…" He hacks out a cough. "My sword. Where…"

"Oh, he was being really loud and I didn´t what it to brother you, so I put him in another room. Why?" For a moment, he thought that she was hiding something, then he decided that it didn´t matter anyway. Is not like he could fight back or something, and she had saved his life, so she deserved a certain amount of trust. At least, for now.

"Give it back."

"Okay." She said, went out the room and she returned soon, with Derflinger on her hands. Then, she gave the sword to him. Paul drew Derflinger for his sheath, to allow him to talk.

"Yoo, partner… Are you finally awake? I'm so glad, I'm so glad."

"H-how I am alive?"

"I used the absorbed magic to move you, and make you run away to the forest. I thought there was still a chance, you see, but you heart had stopped… I am glad you are alive."

"I am glad I didn´t lost you too, Derf." He said, and it was true. Thought he was inwardly panicking-his heart had stopped, he said just like that- it was true. Derf had been always kind to him, and he had become accustomed to the weight of the sheath on his back. Losing him could have been painful.

"Oh, don´t get sentimental on me, partner. I will be always be with you, even you are not a legend anymore."

"What… What do you mean by that?"

Silence.

"Derflinger?" Nothing again, nothing. "Answer me!"

"You really don´t know? Look at your hand." And Paul looked. The sight of the runes was so familiar that it took him a moment to realize they were not there.

"It's gone." He said. "The runes are gone."

"Rejoice, partner. You don´t have to listen to that girl anymore."

"That girl." Paul repeated, as it tasting an unfamiliar food. He remembered how she treated him, as little more than an animal, and the little touches of kindness that mean the world to him back them but now seemed insignificant, so utterly insignificant. He remembered the two standing side by side on that hill, the day he had gone for the darkness of the night to the dark of nothingness. How she smiled, and clenched his hand. "I… I am free."

"That´s right, partner. You are free. You are dead to her and to everyone else… so you can go on, and be yourself."

He remembered his parent's smiles, the scent of warm food, the comfort of a bed, feeling loved, needed, like _he was there_. Louise, crying, telling him he was supposed to comfort her and him hugging her against his chest just like that, and thinking how warm she was, how fragile. Friends, friends who had seemed indistinct just a day before returning to him, is little computer club returning to him, its dusty smell and the neon screens, projects that were projects in name only written on a board, nothing but idly pass times . Her gentle hands when she kissed him and branded him as a slave. Paul closed his eyes. It all came like a wave, with a ferocious intensity he hadn´t never fell before.

"Partner?"

"How I am supposed to return back home now, Derf?"

"Listen, we can go to the east, beyond the desert of Rub' al Khali. Is a dangerous place, but is very possible we find a way to return you where you belong."

"You… You take me there? I am not even a Gandálfr now, I am useless…"

"No, don´t ever say that. Don´t ever say that, okay? You faced an entire army pretty much by yourself. Sure, you had power, but you knew that it was no sure to be enough, and you tried it anyway. Than shows just how courageous you are, partner."

"Maybe."

"Surely. The great Derflinger said it, so it's true. Carry on with pride, partner." Paul opened his eyes. He saw Tiffania at his bedside, looking at him with a concerned expression.

"I am okay. Don´t worry."

"But…"

"No buts. I am okay." Paul smiled, and presented his hand to her. "I… I have just realized I didn´t introduce myself. My name is Paul Davis."

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tiffania Westwood." She said, and then they awkwardly shook hands. It was not the best start, but it was no bad either.

No bad at all.

* * *

><p>He stayed day and night on that bed, with Derflinger on the nightstand. Every day, Tiffania made sure to keep him company for a little while, and they sometimes talked about nothing in particular, and others she just played a beautiful song with an arc, the most wonderful song he had heard in all his life. Ten days passed, and by then he could walk again, so he started helping her with her daily chores. At first, Tiffania had refused, saying that it was unnecessary, that he should not force himself for her but she eventually let him anyway. He started with stuff like joining the children in their games when she was busy doing more important things, and worked his way up to cocking-more like trying to cook- and cutting firewood. That was precisely what he was doing right now-cutting firewood.<p>

"Hey, partner?"

"Yes?" Paul grouted, lifted the axe and brought it down, splitting the log in two. He put the pieces on the firewood pile, and prepared another log.

"Don`t you think that girl is suspicious?"

"It has been three weeks, Derf. Is she was going to try anything, she could have done it by now."

"I don´t meant that, partner. I saw her ears… she is not human." Paul had lifted the axe over his head again, but upon hearing that he froze up. "She is an elf- a strange elf, but an elf anyway."

"How do you know that?"

"Her ears. She always covers her ears with her hair; I couldn´t be surprised I found out that she let her air grow that long just for that."

"Is that it?"

"No, of course. I saw her pointy ears the day you were brought here. In any case, listen to me. Elves are powerful, but not every elf is a homicidal bastard like the nobles paint them to be. And those that are homicidal bastards are like that for a dam good reason. But still, that girl worries me, partner. She is half elf, but she is here, instead of the east, in an orphan´s village. Is just… strange. Not to mention that she was capable of keeping you alive. There are very few things that could have saved you, in the state you were him. Ordinary water magic just couldn't have been enough. So she surely has a ring with Ancient Magic, and she used it to save you. It just… doesn´t add on, you know?"

"Maybe she is just kind."

"Maybe. But the world is like it is, and you are my precious partner, so I have to prepare for the worst. Especially now." Derflinger sighed. "Listen, just keep it in mind. Don´t act like she has already stabbed you in the back, but keep it in mind, okay?"

"Sure, Derf." He said, and brought the axe down again on the next and last log. He put them on the pile, and stared at his handiwork with a smile. It was not a herculean task, far for it, but it sure felt good to do something again. "You know what? I ask her."

"How subtle! I like it."

* * *

><p>He went back to the house, Derflinger on his back and found Tiffania cleaning the main room, humming to herself. She was arched in front of a basin, wiping it with a dustpan and with that little green dress on her she showed far too much cleavage. Paul heard Derflinger let out a low whistle, and he found that he couldn't quite disagree with the sentiment. He approached her.<p>

"Tiffania?" He said, but he didn´t seem to hear him, she just carried on with the cleaning and the humming of what he just realized was the song she played with that harp. Paul coughed. She stirred, straightened her posture, looked back at him and smiled softly.

"Sorry about that, Paul. I was a bit distracted." A bit, sure. Let´s leave it at that. "Did you finish already?"

"Yes, but I am no here about that. No just for that, anyway." Tiffania tensed, slightly, and Paul narrowed his eyes. It could be she just was being careful, but it also could be she was indeed hiding something big, like Derflinger had said.

"What do you want, then?"

"I want to ask you something. How did you cure me? I was as good as dead, but you did it."

"I…" Tiffania bit her lip, and when Paul was already preparing to run she lifted her right hand. He saw an expensive looking blue ring. "It was this ring."

Derflinger had been right. Then, there was just one thing left.

"Why did you do it? I am just a complete stranger."

"No particular reason, really. I could save somebody, so I did it. That's… That's what I was raised to believe it." Somehow, that answer touched his heart deeply. It was an unbelievable statement, but he couldn´t find anything but sincerity in her so he believed it anyway. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Ah, is nothing. I was just curious."

"Actually, we were suspicious of you." Derflinger chimed him.

"Eh, why?" Tiffania said, distraught. "I…"

"The world is not a good place, so we had to make sure." Derflinger said. "Don´t take it the wrong way, girl."

"Derf, did you have to be so crass?" Paul said.

"Well, duh. More fun that way."

He grimaced, and turned towards Tiffania.

"Look, I am sorry. I am I grateful for what you did, and I didn´t meant to hurt your feelings. Is just… just… I see some questionable things." He said, thinking of Louise and Guiche but most of all about himself, and because he couldn´t think of anything else to say he just said: "I am sorry."

"I-I understand." Tiffania nodded, and she went back to work just like that. Paul went out the house again, and took some of the cut lugs for the firewood pile to put them near the fire place. He was like that, in and out, for a few minutes, and went he finished Tiffania at gone out of the house. Paul sighed. The trouble had seemed so real just a few minutes ago, but now he just felt like an asshole.

* * *

><p>Paul couldn't sleep. He tossed, turned and sweated hard, but sleep never came. When he grew tired of it, he stood up and turned on the lights.<p>

"Derf?"

"Yes, partner?"

"The runes… do they have some sort of compulsion?"

"Yes, of course. Compulsion is exactly the right word. It cannot change your nature, but it definitively can influence you. Why?"

"I should have known." Paul sighed. "I… I started to remember about my life, my mother and father. I started to wish, wish really hard, to turn back. Back then, when I was with Louise, I didn´t think about it all that much. She was real, her and her little touches of kindness, not what she had forced me to leave behind. She was my… my world."

"And now?"

"I hate her." He nearly growled. "I hate everything about her. Yet… I remember how fragile she is, and that kindness still has some meaning for me. Is all confusing, and I can´t help but doubt that is real."

"Is as real as anything else, partner, but if you asking if the runes have something to do with what you are feeling, then yes, that´s probably true."

Paul looked beyond the window, a bit wishfully. The light of the moons reflected on the forest, making the shadows just a bit brighter.

"I was a single child. Mother and father never thought about children or about forming a family-I just came and they were forced to deal with it. I was not spoiled, but I was never treated badly. Mother is good cock, but father can be trusted with making himself a sandwich and not much else. In my first year of high school, I formed the computer club and I became an escape for me and my friends. Mark, Bill, George, Beverly. Beverly... she had such beatiful, red hair. I used to daydream about the two of us sitting somewhere, her head agaist my shoulder, and me stroking her hair, thinking just how soft it could be. We did all short of stuff there. I used to doddle ideas for stories on notebooks, papers, one side of the school guide- anything I could find. I wrote some of them, too. Not much, but some. We once thougth about doing a animation. We wrote a rougth outline, together and it turned it into a screen. It never got done. Is name was _Once Upon A Time_, and it was about the falling of a famous knight and the kingdom he wanted to protect. I sent some histories to a lot of magazines, and I collected a good pile of rejection letters. We used to play video games together on the weekend, and argue for the sake of arguing."

"Partner?"

"It makes it seem more real, when I say it. Like is more than just a dream of mine, like is all there, somewhere and I just have to find it." Paul closed his eyes. "I can´t stand it. I can´t stand thinking what happened to them when I was gone, I can´t stand _knowing _that all of them think I am dead, much less how they coped with it."

"…You can still turn back."

"No." His hands clenched into fists, hard. "No. Is over, Derflinger. Even if there was some way to return, when this world doesn´t know about mine, nobody could help me do that. I am just a normal human, a commoner. Even when I had the Gandalf runes everybody thought of me in that way. They thought they could just walk over me. Like Louise, Henrietta, Wardes, Guiche and that chief or whatever that bastard was. That's all they ever will do, until I break. Walk over me. Walk, walk, and walk. They won´t care until they start hearing the cracks, and even then…"

"Shut up." Derf said. "I don´t like to hear you like this. I wanted to tell you later, but there is more to my idea that just a half-baked hope. I know you can return back, and I know how you can do it. Brimir had spell just like that. He called it The World Door. When Louise grows enough, she surely will be able to use that spell. Just find another Void Mage and ask for help, or go back to Louise or something, but stop talking like that."

"Another Void Mage?"

"Yes, there are four void familiars, one for a mage of each country. Tiffania Westwood is a Void Mage."

"Why… Why didn´t you tell me sooner?"

"I know a lot of things, partner. A lot of things. A knowledge is not always the gif people think it is; sometimes, is better to be ignorant. So I tell you these types of things when you need to know, and no a second sooner."

"Knowledge is always better."

"No. You know why the war between elves and humans, which has lasted since centuries, started? Brimir suddenly decided that he wanted to kill all the elves, and Sansa, my partner and creator killed him. With me. All those people that live for Brimir don´t who he became, and all those people who died for him and will die in the future will die only because Brimir couldn´t get out of his high horse and because of the idiots that started the whole 'Reclaim the Holy Land' idea."

"That´s…"

"I have been wielded by a lot of people, even those that were not Gandálfr. I saw soldiers bend on their crusades, all holy and mighty, burning down the homes of people who didn´t do anything but be in the way of their army. I saw the corpses of many children, and mothers staring at them with that glassy look of their eyes, like the body was fine, all right, but there was no longer anything inside. I saw people being burned alive for speaking against Brimir."

"Derflinger, stop…"

"I have seen wars being lunched for profit, or hate or just simply boredom. I have seen people sell out other people's lives. I have seen…"

"Shut up! I get it, so shut up!" Paul screamed, tears it his eyes. He breathed deeply, in and out, trying to calm himself down.

"See? This is what knowledge does to everybody. Even if I didn´t tell you all of that, you know it. Are you not hurting more now, that you know the life she stripped you off, that when the runes keep all those uncomfortable thoughts away? Are you not?" Derflinger said, his voice growing lower and lower. "I love you, partner, but I also have a lot of uncomfortable thoughts, decades of uncomfortable thoughts, and I know just how much it all hurts. So, trust me. I let you know what you should know, when you should know. Okay?"

Paul nodded, weakly.

"Okay." Then, he lied down on the bed, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. He thought he heard it mutter. Paul drew the covers tightly against his body, and tried to sleep.

* * *

><p>Paul somehow fell asleep, and dreamed. He watched the sun rise-no, not he, but they, they because Louise was sitting beside him, her gaze fixed on the horizon as he stroked her soft pink air. She raised her head to look at him, her face cast in shadow, and told him that she loved him and he said that he loved her too, his heart beating almost painfully on his chest. It was a fairy tale love scene, all right, and when he brought down his lips against hers it was all the more so, but then he fell something foul and sticky against his mouth and he separated for her and saw dozens of little spiders crawl out of her mouth and down her body as she just looked at him, smiling a fixed, almost painful smile, and then he screamed at found himself not bitten by spiders, trying to swam the off or completely overwhelmed but in one room of Tiffania house in the Westwood Village, and he was all right, he was fine.<p>

That was when he saw it, ligth that somehow held a shape at his bedside and from it came a familiar voice. It was a door, he thougth. A door back into his cage. He had flew for a while, but even birds have to go back to the ground. The voice said:

"Paul, please. If you are there, somehere, _anywhere_, help me. I need you." Paul left the bed, took Derflinger´s sheath in one hand and approached the ligth. He stared at it as it swirled, almost dizzingly.

"Partner?"

"It all went bad, and I don´t know what to do withouth you anymore." Louise continued. "So... if you are alive... if you are fine... please, _please_, go back to me."

"I can´t stand it, after all." Paul murmured, as in a dream, but it his heart he knew those words were true. He thought about all of them again, the people he couldn't never see anymore because that girl existed and for no other goddamn reason at all. He thought about them, and he started crying. "I can´t."

"You are going to regret this." Derflinger said.

"God." He laugthed, bitterly, sounding to himself like he had lost it-at maybe he had. "I hope not."

"...I see. Farewell, parnert." Paul stepped througth the door of ligth, eyes closed, following Louise´s voice and before he knew it he floated away, and a second later he was standing again. He opened his eyes, and instead of the palace or the accademy he saw that he was in a room as big as the hall he had nearly be executed it. There was a throne of the far end of it, in which a tall, blue man sat in, with Louise rigth in front of him, her regal dress with deep gashes, looking at him with eyes half scared and half filled with hope. Four soldiers stood around them, in a cirle. He didn´t understand.

"This... is the Gandálfr?" The man of the throne said. "Uh."

Louise approached him lightly, reluctantly.

"I am sorry." She said as she closed on him. "I am sorry."

"Louise?" He murmured, and even thougth he was having bad feeling about this, that´s all he did. Even when she grabbed his head with her hands, and pressed herself agaist his body, her lips closing on his, he didn´t do anything else. Paul didn´t understand what was going on, but he was far for stupid. They were in danger. Both of them. So when Louise kissed him again, he only stiffened. Then, the pain came. He felt, truly felt, like he was ligthed on fire, and fell to his kness trying to hold back a scream but it came anyway, and it sounded like the dying scream of a beast that had be finally put down. A minute later-which may as well have be a eternity- the pain ended, and he breathed, trying to keep it all down, trying not to cry and, most of all, trying not to loss concious. When he got back enougth stregth to lift his head off the ground, he saw that Louise had felt to her kness at his side and felt her hands grabbing his shoulders. She looked about to cry.

He felt his hand being grabbed, the hand of the runes and when he looked to the side he saw that it was one of the soldiers. The soldier nodded, and released his hand.

"Excellent." Paul and Louise turned towards the man on the throne. "This whole things has gone far beyond my expectations. You-both of you-not only gave me a chance to strike at Albion, but nearly wiped their army out. And now, this power of yours... is mine. Nothing will be out of my reach. Even... I can even go beyond the void in my heart. All of Halkegenia will felt the power of Joshep, King of Gallia."


	11. Many a Star

**Chapter 11**

_Many a Star_

"Disarm them." Joseph said, from his throne. Paul started at the approaching soldier for what it feel like an eternity, thinking about drawing Derflinger and ending things here, thinking about just saying 'fuck this!' and blow the whole place sky-high. He could do that. He was the Gandálfr, the left hand of god, and Louise was absurdly powerful herself. But Louise was only mage, she didn´t have the benefit of the runes to keep her body up. So he didn´t do it. A soldier grabbed him by the shoulders, turned him around and he still didn´t even have second thoughts. A second later, he heard the snap of handcuffs, and even the possibility of that was buried. For the corner of his eye, he saw a soldier pocked Louise wand while another one handcuffed her. Then, they were roughly forced to their feet. "Place them new to each other."

He felt the soldier pushing him forward, and for a moment he entertained the idea of not moving, of forcing that bastard to drag him every step of the way, but he didn´t do it. It would amount to anything, anyway. Best to keep quiet until he saw a chance to escape. So when the soldier pushed him again, Paul left him push him out of the room. In the other side of the hallway, there was a big window that had a view to a garden, and far beyond the garden, a city. He thought about trying to fight the guards bare handed and then jump out of the window, like some B-movie hero, but it didn´t seem likely.

"Please." Louise said, and he stiffened. "Look at him. Just look at him. He is crazy. I… I understand loyalty, but this is pushing it. You have to help us. Or just take off these handcuffs."

"Why we should do that?" One of the soldiers sneered.

"You can´t just let him do as he pleases. He is your king, all right, but…"

"Joseph is just a child in the body of an adult." Another one said. This one sounded younger. "He is unfit to take care of himself as much as he is unfit to take care of his kingdom, but that doesn´t matter. He is nothing but the man standing on the throne, little girl."

"So why do you follow his orders? Do you think this is right?"

"Right?" The soldier said, bemused. "This has nothing to do with that."

"Then why do you serve him?"

"Money, power, fame, whores." He stretched the last word, suggestively. Paul didn't like the sound of that. "The same reasons everybody does it."

"Do you even know the meaning of honor?" Louise almost screamed at him. For one moment, the man looked taken a back. Then, him and the rest of his companions burst into laughter.

"Everybody knows the meaning of honor, girl." The same one said, between laughs. "Is just that everybody has a different meaning."

"Nothing you are doing here is honorable." She said. Paul prayed that she could just shut up already. Louise was just going to get them in trouble. "You are just bowing down, like dogs."

All of them stopped, abruptly.

"What did you say?"

"All I heard there is 'bark, bark'" Louise said, and smiled. "Just like a dog."

One of the soldiers, the younger one, took a step forward and punched her right in the mouth. He saw her lip burst, like in slow motion and then she fell against the ground, hands up to protect her head. For a moment, he thought that she was crying, that she had finally got over her head. Then, with a start, he realized she was stifling down laughter.

"What did you do, idiot?" One soldier screamed, and the one who had punched Louise took a step back, as in fear. Or maybe shame. It was not possible to know such a thing, with those helmets over their heads. "She is Joseph prisoner, and he doesn´t want her harmed. Do you have a death wish? Do you want your own mother to see you executed in the main plaza?"

"I am sorry, Gerald." Then, he went to pick Louise up. The other one helped him. They resumed their walk, in silence, if not for her Louise stifled laughter. But soon, even that stopped. In the descent to the dungeons, there were only the sounds of their footsteps and the sounds of the city, far, far away.

They stopped in front of two cells, marked B-12 and B-13. For the corner of his eye, he saw one of the soldiers that was with Louise step forward and open one of the cells. Then, they shoved Louise inside, and closed the door. A few seconds later, he saw her head poke out between the bars of the door. He was barely aware that his door was opened, and then they pushed him inside. He hit the ground on his back, and for a moment he saw grey, and thought he was going to past out, but he didn´t. Paul struggled for breath, and sat up on his cell. He heard the door close, and then the room felt into darkness. The only light was what fell through the window of the cell, and even that little window was closed a moment later. He breathed out, and waited, in darkness.

* * *

><p>Paul must have fell sleep, because the next thing he remembered was a crack, and the door opening. Joseph stepped through, alone, and stared at him over his shoulder, smiling. He stared back.<p>

"So, Gandálfr." Joseph said. The way he had said it made him repress a shiver. "Tell me: how does it fell to nearly kill a whole army? How does it fell to end so many lives? Is a wonderful feeling, do you regret it or you don´t even care? Tell me. Tell me, Gandálfr."

"I am not in the mood for games, Joseph. Tell me why you came here. Why you really came here."

Joseph frowned.

"You are not fun, you know? Ah, well." His smile grew wider. Paul didn´t like that. "I tell you, anyway. There is something very, _very _important that is unfortunately still not in my hands. I want you bring it to me."

"What is it?"

"The Founder´s Prayer Book, of course." Paul stiffened. "What else it could be, Gandalfr?"

"Where is it?" He said, thinking about storming the palace, how many innocent people he could be forced to kill.

"In that girl´s room, at the Tristanian Academy of Magic. It will be an easy job. For a Gandalfr, anyway."

"And if I said no?"

"I kill her." Joseph said, and smiled.

"You are just buffling; you said so yourself. You want her power. Our power. You couldn´t kill her."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I have no problem in putting down tolls, when they get to bothersome. But maybe I won´t kill her. Is too early to do something like that. Doesn´t mean I can´t hurt her, in other ways. For example, I could give some of my guards the key of her cell, turn a blind eye and let them… take turns."

Paul felt sick. He knew this world was a barbaric place, the middle ages with magic, but he just couldn´t believe that man was standing there so calmly, even smiling, while talking about arranging a gag rape for a girl who wasn´t even eighteen. It almost made him puke.

"Fine." He said. "Fine. But don´t let them touch her."

"But of course. So long as you play your part, Gandalfr." Joseph said, then took a key for the pocked of his pants and unhooked his handcuffs. Paul took them off, and throwed them to ground. Then, he stood up.

"I want Derflinger back."

"Derflinger?"

"My sword."

"Oh, well, okay. I was going to do that, anyway." They passed Louise cell, B-12. Paul stared at it as they went through the hallway.

"Can I see her before I go?" Joseph stopped. "Please."

"Okay. But only five minutes." He took another key for his pocket, stepped forward and opened the door. Louise was in the middle, her head resting on her knees. She lifted her gaze when the door creaked open, and the cell was lighted. Paul stepped through. "Remember, five minutes. Enjoy yourself, Gandalfr."

Then, he closed the door. The room darkened considerably, but there was still some light, enough to clearly see Louise´s face and her shape in the darkness, so Joseph must have opened the little window of the cell, too. She stood up, approached him and hugged him around the waist.

"I missed you, familiar." She said, thought her voice was muffled somewhat. "And… I am sorry, for calling you again."

"I missed you, too, but shush, we are going to get through this just fine." He said, and returned the hug. It was not entirely unpleasant. Sometime later, they separated. "I am going, master."

"To where?"

"To Tristain. Joseph has sent me on a mission."

"What mission?" Paul fidgeted, and then stood straight. There was no sense it lying, or trying to get out of this.

"To recover the Founder´s Prayer Book."

"That´s…" Louise said, with her eyes wide.

"There is nothing we can do about that. You have to worry less about _them _and more for our own safety."

"I worry for you, and for me, of course. But still… still…" Louise sighed. "That he gets the book… it can´t be any good."

"I know, but, like I said, there is nothing we can do." She looked down, her hair covering her eyes.

"Paul…" She mumbled. "Try… Try not to do… anything drastic. And stay alive."

"I will, mast…" There were several loud knocks at the door.

"Five minutes, Gandalfr." Joseph said, and he knocked several times again. "If you are fucking her like a bitch in heat, calm down and get out. You have more important things to do."

He saw Louise face redden with fury, and her hands clenched into fists, but she didn´t do anything.

"Go." She said, after she calmed down a bit. "Go. I will be fine."

"Yes, master." He nodded, and opened the door. Joseph was there, smiling at them.

"Well, let´s go, Gandalfr." And they went. The soldiers looked at them as they went out of the dungeons, but they all gave them a wide berth. Joseph leaded him into a room littered with boxes. Derflinger was there, sheathed, on the table in the middle of the room. Paul picked him up, and the runes blazed to life.

"Interesting." Joseph muttered. "Seeing a legend in the flesh is more interesting that I had imagined. Are you satisfied now, Gandalfr? Or you have any more requests?"

Paul pretend he didn´t hear him, and gracefully swung the sword on his sheath. He felt alive, at home.

"No." He said, smiling. "He is all I need."

"Excellent." Joseph said, and turned to the door. "Let´s go."

Paul followed him through more hallways, to the outside of the palace. Soldiers were standing guard, all around. He saw a bird resting on the top of some flowers, but it swiftly took flight and disappeared into the sky.

"A ship will be leaving the docks soon, towards Tristain." Joseph said. "You will go there, and the ship will take you back here when the mission is over. Don´t cause a scene, or try to escape. If you do, I will kill Louise regardless. Understood?"

"Understood." He said, and nodded.

* * *

><p>Paul went through the city, following the smell of fishes, sailors, bad bread and alcohol; the smell of the docks. Here and there he had to ask for directions, but in less than a quarter of an hour-or so his thought- he reached the docks. The ships were arranged in several neat rows. He saw a sailor engaged in a shouting match with somebody, and saw how he threw an empty beer bottle and the man and missed him only by itches. It broke against the ground, he saw that, but the sound of his breaking was lost in the idle chatter between the persons of the docks, the salesman reciting their sale pitches, waving things around, baggage behind shuffled between hands and into the ship. He started walking down the line of ships, looking for the one that was about to part and halfway a sailor waved at him and called him by name. Paul stepped into the ship. The sailor looked at him for a moment, up and down, then took of a key for his pocket and gave it to him. There was a twenty four engraved into the key, with big and bold letters. The man said it was to be his room, but he had already figured up that much.<p>

Paul descended into the lower parts of the ship, and went looking for his room. He found him on the first hallway, and opened it. It was small, but no very small. There was a closet on the left, and bed on the right and tiny little window just about it. He locked the door behind him, put Derflinger on the nightstand and sat on the bed. Looking at the ceiling, he thought that it was not so bad, after all. It was noisy, because of the paper thin walks and it smelled…not revolting, but it was definitively unpleasant. But he felt free. Sure, it was not true, he still had his responsibilities and, most of all, the mission, but he felt like that all the same. So it was not so bad.

He shook his head, effusively, like trying to shake those thoughts away. This was not time to dream awake. Paul reached for Derflinger, and unsheathed him.

"Derf, what happened when the soldiers took you? And what can you tell about the palace?"

"I was brought into that room, and Joseph talked to me." Derf said. "He asked me how it felt to live, for so long, with so many deaths. We had a talk about my past wielders, and what I saw of this world. Listen, partner. He is crazy. And I don´t mean crazy the same way Fouquet-or Matilda or whatever, I don´t really care right now- was crazy. Joseph is empty, truly empty. Like… some puppet. Jesus, partner, I told him everything, _everything_, but he didn´t even blink. That kind of people is always the most dangerous. And he is another Void Mage, like being a freaking insane king was not enough."

"Does he have a familiar?"

"I don´t know, can´t be sure, but Joseph knows what he is, so I think he does have a familiar somewhere. Probably in the palace. Anyway, as for the palace… If you are hoping that I figured out an escape route for you and Louise already, then you are out of luck. But I did see where they have the keys of the cells. Is protected by a magical barrier, but I sure that I can adsorb that magic and let you open it like any normal box."

"Don´t worry. That´s more than I expected, Derf."

"You didn´t expect awesome things from the awesome Lord Derflinger? Shame on you."

"Yeah." Paul laughed. "Shame on me. Sorry."

"You are forgiven, partner. This time." Paul laughed again, deep inside incredulous at himself. He had to do another dangerous mission, given by a mad king that was also a void mage and had taken them captive, and here he was, laughing. But it felt good. Really good. He leaned down on the bed, staring through the window. He stared and thought about idle things.

* * *

><p>Paul waked up, with a start, when the ship stopped. He stood up, put Derflinger on his back and went upside. They were not on the port of La Rochelle; the differences were obvious, even if he had only been there once. The houses were bigger, more luxurious and there was a lot less vegetation. He went to ask the captain how far the academy was, and the captain said that it was pretty close by, just a few meter, so he walked instead of buying a horse. In about a quarter of a hour, he found himself in front of the massive gates of the academy. They were closed.<p>

"Hey!" He screamed. "Open up, please! My name is Paul Davis! I am the familiar of Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Valliere."

Silence. Paul waited, and when he was beginning to think that they didn´t heard him or they just didn´t want him here, there was a big crack and the gate opened, squeaking all the while. Osmond, a staff on his hand. Paul approached him. The headmaster looked at him, up and down, then started waving the staff around. He flinched, and took a step back.

"I am not going to hurt you." Osmond said. "This is just a simply spell, to check if you really are who you say you are. Don´t worry. If its true, then you have nothing to fear."

Paul just nodded. The headmaster finished his chant, and blue light washed over him, but nothing else happened. He didn´t even fell pain.

"Ah, thanks goodness. Is true. Tell me, young man, how are you alive? We thought that you had died figthing the Albion Army. Louise, too."

"A person found me and healed me... Wait, so Louise is not here? I thougth..." He bit his lip, and looked away, a bit afraid he was overacting and would fuck everything up.

"I am afraid so. Nobody has see her since that day; not even her corpse."

"Don´t say that! Look." He held out his hand, showing them the runes. "I don´t know where she is, but she is not death. The runes are still here."

"Yes, yes." Osmond said, and nodded. Paul could have sworn he stood straighter after that. "Thats good. That´s really good. Well, come inside."

The headmaster turned, and he followed him. He heard the gates close behind them, still squeaking hard.

"Louise´s room has not be taken by another student, so you can sleep there. Is only appropiate, after all."

"Thank you, headmaster."

"Don´t thank me. You shouldn´t have come here. You don´t have... a good reputation. And I am not referring to what happened with Guiche. I mean... what Louise did. What she said you were, to all the nation. Lets just say that it be better for you to not leave the room, if you still what to stay here."

"Where else I can go?"

"Good point."

* * *

><p>Paul followed Osmond up to Louise´s room. The headmaster took a key from his pocket and opened the door for him. When he couldn´t not longer heard his footsteps, he locked the door. Then, he searched for the Founder´s Prayer Book. He looked on Louise´s desk, and checked each drawer twice. Nothing. He went down on the floor, and looked under the bed. Nothing again. He opened the closet, and checked the pockes of her clothes. There was a spare wand in one of them, but he didn´t find the book. Then, he saw it, for the corner of his eye. It was behind the desk, against the wall. Paul picked it up, and opened it. The first two pages were blank. He suffled through the book, but every single page was blank, too. This was it, then. It was certainly no a school book.<p>

He went out of the room, the book on his arm and closed the door behind him. When he turned around, he nearly jumped. The headmaster was there, wielding his staff.

"What are you doing?" Paul´s hand itched for Derflinger´s handle, but he keep its cool. There was no need to worsen things.

"I am just leaving. You were right; I can´t stay here."

"And the book?"

"Is a novel, sir. Can I go now?" He moved aside, and took a step forward but then he was flying. The floor turned over twice right before his eyes, and then he hit the ground. Paul gasped for breath, his mouth filling with blood. He was only dimly aware that the book had went tumbling for his grip. He looked up, and saw the headmaster approaching him, his footsteps as loud as gunshots.

"I don´t know what happened to you, and what do you want with that book, but nothing good will come out of it. Please, surrender and we can talk about this. Let me help you."

"I..." Paul tried to say, then coughed blood while Osmond looked down at him, his calm expression never breaking. "I-I have to do it. Is the only way for me. And for her."

"So you are doing this for Louise?"

"Yes. That bastard from Gallia, Joshep... he has taken her hostage. And if I don´t give the book to him, he is going to kill her." He said, and thougtt he saw hesitation on the old man´s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"I can´t let you do that." Osmond said. Paul grasped the book, and tried to stand up. The blast of wind magic didn´t hit only because he stagarred away for it. He hear the wall behind him break, and unsheated Derflinger. The runes blazed. The headmaster sent another blast of magic at him, but Derflinger adsorbed it, and it only threw him back a few steps. Paul cursed beneath his break, and ran towards the stairs. He ducked his head, and the blast tore a painting for the wall instead of stopping him short. It broke against the ground, sending broken glass all over the floor. He got to the stairs, jumped all the way down and crounched upon hitting the ground, his teeth chattering hard. Paul nearly lost his balance rigth there, but he stedied himself and jumped througth the nearest window. It shattered, the glass that was sent flying making deep gashes on his skin, but he barely felt it. He hit the ground, rolled, go back to his feet and ran for the gates.

Paul heard that crack again, even that many meters away. Shit. The gates were closing. He forced himself to up his pace. Just when he reached it, the gates closed with a bang as loud as a gunshot. He looked behind him. The teachers were there, staffs or wands in their hands, looking directly at him. He looked around. Even thougth he could see the watch towers on either side of the gates, there was no ladder. Only one choice then. Paul breathed deeply, once, took several steeps back and jumped.

He raised througth the air, the wind flapping his clothes, and for a moment he fell wonderful, free like a bird. Then he looked at the top of the gates and thougth that it hadn´t be enougth, that he was going to hit that, fall and break his neck, and all his joy turned into terror. He didn´t, but just barely. Paul hit the ground so hard his kness buckled, and he fell down on his hands and kness, head spinning. He wobbly got to his feet, and somehow found the strength to run, towards the woods.


	12. Down To Sleep

**Chapter 12**

_Down to Sleep_

Paul ran all the way to the harbor, without stopping. The ship was there. He asked the captain to take him back to Gallia, and went back down, to his room. He had a uneasy sleep, Derflinger still on his back and clutching the book against his chest. He didn´t dream anything or, at least, he didn´t remember. He woke up when the ship docked, went out and headed towards the palace. The guards wordlessly opened the door for him, and told him Joseph was waiting for him in the throne room. He had to walk around more that necessary because he couldn´t remember the path, but he eventually got it right. Joseph was sitting on the throne, a soldier on each side. When he saw him at the doorway, he stood up and the approached him. The guards followed him.

"Well, well, Gandalfr. You are not dead. That´s great. Now..." He extended his hand. "Give me the book."

Paul gave it to him. Joseph caressed the cover, a smile on his face and opened the book. He shuffled through its pages.

"Blank, eh? Interesting." He lifted his head. "It didn´t go smoothly, right? What happened?"

"The headmaster saw what I was doing, and he attacked me. I... I don´t think he broke something, but I am not sure. I escaped, and ran all the way to the docks. And that´s all."

"Ah, that´s a shame, but is not really going to change anything. Nobody can stand in my way any longer." He turned his head to his guards. "Take off his sword, and put him back on his cell."

A soldier took off Derflinger from his back, and the other turned him around and put the handcuffs on his wrists. Then, he was pushed out of the room and through the corridors, down into those stingy cells. One of them took a step forward, opened the door and pushed him inside. Then, the door was closed with a loud bag and darkness fell. He carefully sat up, and put his back against the wall. Paul closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>He waked up, hearing a crack. He didn´t know how much time he had be in the darkness of the cell-more than a day or even three, but that was as far as it went. The door had been opened, and there were two soldiers looking down at him.<p>

"Get up. Joseph wants to see you." Paul stood up, and approached them. They roughly grabbed him by the soldiers, and pushed him towards his destination. They left the dungeons, and soon after he had the certainty that they were taking him to the throne room, and that he was about to be sent on another mission. What could be, this time? Assassination? Kill another army? He didn´t know; he just knew that he didn´t want to find out. The soldiers turned right, and his certainty became knowledge. The door right in front of him was one of the doors to the throne room. One of the soldiers opened it, and they stepped through.

Joseph was there, in the middle of the room, Derflinger held on his right hand. At his side, there was a hooded person of womanly shape. The soldiers approached them, stopped and a moment later he heard and felt the handcuffs being taken away. They bowed, and left the room, leaving the three of them alone.

"What do you want?" Paul asked.

"Quick and to the point. I like that. But first, let me make the introductions. Sheffield, this young man is Paul Davis, and also Gandalfr, the left hand of god. Paul Davis, this woman is Sheffield, and also Myozunitonirun, the mind of god." Sheffield extended her hand towards him, and Paul took it. Then, they shook hands.

"Is a pleasure to meet you." She said, but Paul knew that this woman couldn´t care less about meeting him. Her tone gave it away.

"Likewise."

"Now..:" Joseph said, smiled and threw Derflinger at him. He cached it. "Kill each other."

"What?"

"I am not joking." That was exactly what worried him. Then, he felt something and a second later he was sent flying. He hit the wall, stopped and slopped down, still somehow holding on to Derflinger. He lifted his head, and saw Sheffield, her right hand extended towards him. There was blue light outlining her hand.

"You can´t afford to hesitate, Gandalfr." She said. Paul stood up, shakily, holding Derflinger with both hands.

"I won´t make that mistake twice." He answered, and charged at her. Strange beings suddenly appeared, surrounding her and they rushed to meet him. One jumped at him, claws extended and he cut the thing down in the air with a single slash and when the rest of the creatures closet on him, he held his ground. He was Gandalfr. He had decimated an army, and they couldn´t be no different. In less than a minute, he had cut down the twelve remaining creatures, but more appeared. He cut down the first one, and realized that two more had appeared. Paul grimaced; he wasn´t going to win this, if it keep going like that. So he stepped away from the things, and raw directly towards Sheffield. He felt a hot stab of pain, and saw from the corner of his eye one of these creatures jump down from his back. A wave of blue energy flew towards him, but he raised Derflinger and he absorbed it. Sheffield took several steps back, clumsily and seemly panicked.

Then, there was an explosion that shook the world, and Paul froze. No. That was not exactly right. All of them had frozen; that hadn´t not be a part of the plan.

"We are under attack." Joseph said, making his heart churn inside his chest. "Kill them. Kill them all."

Paul turned, opened the door to the balcony and jumped over it. He landed on rail, crouching. A moment later, the creatures summoned by Sheffield passed him, advancing towards the enemy army. He jumped down, and ran, following that woman´s creatures.

* * *

><p>When he followed them, he noticed that the enemy soldiers had two different uniforms. Tristania had to be got help for some other kingdom he didn´t know or just didn´t remember. But that didn´t matter now. He leaped into the fray. The enemies heard him come, but they were slow, far too slow. Paul cut down various soldiers at nearly the same time, evading the spells casted by the enemy mages, Derflinger adsorbing the rest. He felt vaguely guilty; they were not here to save them, not to do something. It was because they were powerful weapons and they didn´t want them on Joseph's hands, yes, but still, they were not evil. Yet, he was cutting all of them down without flinching. He felt sick, but Joseph could hurt Louise if I didn´t play his part, so he carried on.<p>

Something hit him on the side, and he went flying. He hit the nearest wall, still holding tightly to Derflinger, and looked. He saw Henrietta, dressed again like the queen she was, making her way towards him through the soldiers, the tip of her staff shining.

"Get up." She said. "You can still turn back, Paul. You are not too far gone to not fix this. Please, stand down, and let us help you."

"Osmond didn´t tell you everything?" He said, as he shakily stood up. "I can´t. Louise..."

"Is a risk we have to take." Paul frowned.

"Is not a risk I am willing to take, Your Majesty. So shut up."

"Even at the cost of your own live?"

"Don´t be so conceited." He sneered, thought inwardly he was panicking. His fight against the Albion Army had not ended well, and that time he had Louise on his side. Now, he just had an army. "I am Gandalfr; I have already destroyed a army before. This... This is nothing."

Henrietta looked at him, for a moment. She raised her staff, which glowed with a soft blue light.

"So be it, then." She said, and a blast of water went towards him. Paul ducked his head, and the blast hit the house behind him, cracking the wood. He ran towards her, sword held high. A soldier got in his way, but he kicked him aside. Another blast of water went towards him, but Derflinger adsorbed it without trouble. He stepped out of the path of the next blast, reached Henrietta and knocked her staff aside with the sword. It went flying, and when it crashed to the ground it went clattering away. He put the tip of the sword over her heart, and froze. "This is the end, then. Fine. Do it, fast."

She closed her eyes, leaving herself completely defenseless. His hands began to shake, making Derflinger wobble dangerously.

"I-I ca..." He felt a hot stab of pain, screamed and fell, holding is left knee. Blood was pouring for it. He had been shot. He had been fucking shot. Paul found the strength to lift his head, and saw a woman with a musket in each of her hands. He groaned, and tried to stand up. The bullet went flying past his left cheek, leaving a bloody trail. He lost his balance and felt to the ground. Footsteps, closer and closer. Red and brow bots. A musket aimed at his head. He raised Derflinger, and slashed at her across the stomach. She opened her mouth, blood falling from it and dropping down her chin, and stumbled a few steps back, holding her stomach. Then, she fell to the side, eyes widening, shaking like she was having a seizure. Paul stabbed Derflinger through the ground, and used him as support to stand up.

"Agnes!" Henrietta screamed, and he turned towards her, in time to raise Derflinger. Her spell hit the sword head on, and was adsorbed. He took a step towards her, and nearly fell again. The world spun like the wheel of fortune, and he was just barely holding his bile down. When he lifted his head again, a blast of water hit him, knocking him to the ground. He tried to keep his eyes open, but his conscious slipped away.

* * *

><p>Paul waked up. There was a pressure on his wrists, and he felt that his back was against something. When he looked around, he saw that pieces of destroyed ships had fallen upon the buildings, destroying them, and had started burning. He looked back, and saw that he had been tied to a post. Derflinger was nowhere to be seen. The post looked kind of flimsy, but without the Gandalfr runes activated, that didn´t mean much. There was a barrel in front of him, and of the top of him rested a lamp made of glass. He kicked the barrel, and the lamp toppled over, breaking against the ground. Paul flinched at the noise. One piece of the broken glass had landed near his bonds, so he tried to use it cut them. He heard a snap, and his wrists were freed. He stood up, hesitated for a second, and then grabbed one of the pieces of glass. It cut into his hand, drawing blood, but the Gandalfr runes blazed to life. Good.<p>

He crouched, and headed towards the castle, avoiding the few soldiers he saw, in the ground and upon the buildings. When he reached it, he saw that the gates had be breached and heard the sounds of battle from the inside. Best not to go that way. He went to the back and climbed over the fence. Paul looked up the castle wall, and wondered if he could make it. The Gandalfr runes should keep its body up, but aside for that, it couldn´t help much in climbing. And the drop was a high one; enough, at least, to break his neck. But it didn´t matter. He couldn´t allow it to matter. Louise was in danger, and he had to save her. He approached the wall, seeking a grip for his hand, and found it. Then, slowly and carefully, he started climbing up, without letting go of the piece of glass. His grip was so tight that his knuckles had become white, and the skin of his fingers ripped, drawing blood. Paul carried on.

A cold wind blew. It hit him like a physical weight, causing him to stop and grip even harder. Even so, for a moment he thought that he was going to be blow away. He breathed in relief, and went on. The wind blew two more times, in rapid succession, but he managed to keep his hold. He reached the halfway point and, after a moment of deliberating, jumped over the railed instead of continuing the climbing. Joseph should be in the throne room, along with Louise. He slowly opened the door, crouched, and walked down the stairs. He had only been out of his cell three times, but he had at least had an idea of where the throne room was. Or so he hoped. He went down, guiding himself by his memories, changing paths when he saw or heard soldiers on his way.

"Well, well." Paul froze; it was Joseph's voice. "It appears we are on a stale mate, Your Majesty."

"Let her go." Henrietta said.

"Oh, shut up. Like you are in any position to make demands." He said, and then there was a cry of pain and several short, sharp gasps. Louise. It had been Louise´s voice. "If you step out of line, I kill her."

No, no. Calm down. He was not going to do that. Just another bluff; it was just another bluff. If he killed her, he would lose her power and his own in a single stroke, running whatever plans he had. So there was nothing to fear. He had to do this with a level head, for both of their sakes. Paul gripped the piece of glass tighter, and put one hand against the door. He breathed, in and out. Then, he kicked open the door. There was a loud bag, and every head in the room turned towards him. It didn´t matter. He looked at Joseph, and threw the piece of glass at him, screaming at the top of his lugs. The glass flew through the air, now nothing but a blur, and hit Joseph right in his hand. He screamed, and took several steps back, dropping his wand. Louise fell to her knees, stood up and broke into a run. Sheffield, who had been besides Joseph, raised her hand, summoning several of those creatures in a circle around her. Louise ran to his side, lifted her head to look at him, near tears, and then turned towards Sheffield, her creatures and Joseph. One of the soldiers looked back at him, and threw him a knife. Paul cached it, and drew it. The runes blazed to life.

"The stalemate has be broken; what a shame." Sheffield said, and smiled. "Oh, well. It doesn´t matter."

Joseph stood up, and ripped the piece of glass from his hand. He turned his head towards him, his eyes wide, like a maniac.

"Gandalfr, Gandalfr. You never learn, do you? Well, I will make you learn." He said, and then bent down. Spells flew towards him, but Joseph didn´t move. Six of those creatures put themselves in front of him, fast, bearing the brunt of the spell. Joseph picked up his wand, pointed it at them, and started chatting. Sheffield´s creatures rushed towards Henrietta´s soldiers, and the soldiers charged at them, screaming in challenge as one.

"Your hand..." Louise said.

"Is nothing." Paul said, and ran towards them. He jumped over Henrietta´s soldiers, knife raised over his head. Some of Sheffield´s creatures jumped at him, but he cut them down in the air, and landed safely just in front of Joseph. He slashed at his heart, and he disappeared, rigth before his eyes. No, not disappeared. Ran. Ran so fast he had be unable to follow him, even with the Gandalfr runes. A laugh. Paul turned towards the voice, and he was punched in the stomach. He winced, and punched back, but Joseph ran out of the way of his strike again. "Shit."

"Indeed." Paul turned, and got his legs kicked out for under him. "How patetchit Gandalfr. You can do nothing but scurry across the ground, begging to not be killed. Is this the legend everybody fears? Is it? Tell me! Tell…!"

He scrambled to his feet, at slashed at Joseph wand. The hit connected this time, making the wand go tumbling out of his grip. He raised the knife and slashed, aiming for his heart. Something hit on the side, and he went flying against a wall, somehow holding on to his knife. One of these creatures. He stabbed it in the head, fast. The creature screamed, showing teeth that were as big as his knife, and try to get away. Paul kicked the beast in the chest, knocking it back down on the ground, on their backs and stabbed it on his stomach. The creature screamed again, and tried to shake him off, but died soon.

He tried to find Joseph, and saw him about to pick up his wand. He ran towards him. Joseph picked it up, and started chanting. Paul smashed against him, knocking the king back a few steps and making the wand tumble out of his grasp. He grabbed Joseph by the throat, and slammed him back against the wall. Then, he stabbed him in the stomach, looking at him directly at his eyes. His hands went to his wound, and were soon stained with blood.

"This is for both of us, you son of a bitch." He said, driving the knife harder through his flesh.

"Really?" Joseph laughed. "Or is only for yourself?"

Paul felt a sudden weight on his back that made him fall down to the ground. The creatures of Sheffield pilled on him, hitting hard. He raised one arm to protect his head, at slashed at the creatures with the other. They fell fast, but they were so many than that didn´t really matter. The world was spinning a little, like a drunk and he feared that he could pass out. Still, he killed all of the creatures. He tried to control his breathing, and then Joseph appeared. He kicked him in the head, took away his knife and slashed at him. Paul grasped the knife´s edge, making the runes blaze to life again, and try to push it back. It was a losing battle, even with the Gandalfr runes. He knew that all too well.

"Paul! Get him away for you!" Louise´s voice. He didn´t even consider for a second that the voice could be fake; he could fell she was she, and that was enough for him. Paul raised his legs, and kicked Joseph in the stomach, making him stumble back a few steps. He rose to his feet, turned his back on him and jumped. An explosion tore the ground where he had been a second later, and there was a scream. The smell of burning flesh reached him, soon enough. He landed messily, almost falling and breathing hard. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and lifted his head. Louise, looking at him while crying.

"Tha…" He hacks out a cough. "Thank you. You saved me, mas…"

A blood curling scream ringed in the throne room, cutting him off. He looked to the side, and saw that Sheffield´s creatures had melted, and that the light of her runes had banished. Her hood was thrown back, showing a stern but beautiful face that was twisted in madness. Her mouth was half open, and her teeth looked unnaturally sharp. Her eyes flashed.

"Joseph!" She screamed. "Joseph!"

She ran towards him, not even taking notice of her surroundings, but one of the nine remaining Tristania soldiers hit her with a spell right on her back, putting her down. When she lifted her head, Paul saw that she was crying. The soldiers surrounded her, and handcuffed her hands behind her back, while she screamed the name of the dead king of Gallia, over and over again, until it was nothing more than a broken gasp.

They approached her, Louise awkwardly supporting him. Henrietta looked at them, at smiled.

"You are fine; thanks' goodness." She said, and grimaced. "But this is still unfinished, so I need your help."

"I don´t care. Just give me Derflinger back."

"Derflinger?" Something in her tone made him clench his fits, hard. She probably didn´t even know how important he was to him, but still… still… it hurt. It hurt to hear his partner so easily dismissed.

"Yes, Derflinger; the sword you took away for me. Give him back."

Henrietta nodded, and signaled towards one of the soldiers. He approached them, and Paul saw Derflinger´s sheath hanging for his belt.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Give him the sword." The soldier didn´t even ask why; he just grabbed the sheath, and threw it and him. Paul cached it, and drew Derflinger.

"Uh, thank good you are back, partner." For the corner of his eye, he saw the soldier looking at Derflinger like he hadn´t not be wielding him during the majority of the battle. "That guy sucks. I mean, don´t get me wrong, is not the worst performance I have seen, but he still sucks."

"Thank god you are back, too." He said, and laughed. "Don´t get me wrong, I like knife as much as the next guy, but is not the same thing at all. The knife didn´t even talk."

"Good one, partner. Good one."

* * *

><p>With its king dead, the rest of Gallia felt quickly. It was by no means an easy battle. Tristania had taken heavy casualties in the siege, so the Gillian soldiers outnumbered then. However, he was the Gandalfr, and with Louise back on his side, there was nothing they could do. When they finally realized that the battle had a foregone conclusion, they surrendered to the Tristania and Germania army. Someone tugged at his arm, and he looked down.<p>

"Master?"

"Call me Louise."

"Eh, uh… Louise?"

"Follow me, and don´t ask questions. Please." Then, she turned and walked away. Paul followed her. She leaded him through the castle´s hallways, into what had to be a library, and stopped in the middle of the room, put her back against one of the bookcases, and took off a book from inside her uniform. It was the Founder´s Prayer Book.

"Master?" He said, but she just opened the book, like she hadn´t not heard that, took off her wand and pointed it at the floor. Then, she started chanting. It was as melodious as the first time he had heard it, and made his hear beat weakly. She was enchanting, like an angel. After sometime, she stopped the chant. Space rippled right before his eyes, forming a huge circle, and inside of it shone all the colors of the rainbow. His breath was taken away. "What… What is this?"

"A Void spell. I think Joseph unlocked it, somehow. Maybe it just appeared when I took back the book. I don´t know. But it doesn´t matter. Is a door, Paul. The World Door." Louise said. Paul´s throat was suddenly dry; it was here, what he searched for so long, and had lost all hope of finding. A way home. Finally, a way home. "Step through it, and you will be back where you belong."

"Louise… but…"

"I can´t maintain the spell forever, and I can only cast this one more time today. So, make a choice now, Paul."

"T-this is so sudden..:" He was hesitant, but he just couldn´t understand why. It was like he was being… pushed, into that mindset. His head started hurting.

"I know, but is the only thing I can do. For both of us." Paul took a step forward, and looked into the portal. The Kaleidoscope of colors dissolved, revealing a hill, a city beneath and the sky. It was his home, so close… "Please, Paul. Go away. Just go away. If not for yourself, then at least do it for my sake."

Paul closed his eyes, trying to not think too hard about the meaning of her words, or what could happen to her if he went away. He turned towards her.

"Come with me, Louise." She looked shocked, for a second, and then recomposed herself.

"I can´t… no, of course I can, but I don´t want to. You are… important to me. But Halkagenia is my home. I can´t just leave all behind."

"They are going to lock you away, Louise, until they needed your powers. Or kill you or worse. Please, please, come with me. You can just use a translation spell to understand the language, and I am sure my family could adopt you or something. I… I take care of it, okay? You can trust me." She looked down for a second, and then nodded, blushing heavily.

"Okay." Louise said, and approached him. They stood, side by side, in front of the World Door. She grasped his hand. "Hey, Paul?"

"Yes?" He said, wondering what she wanted at a time like this. He felt her hands on his face, that pulled his head towards her, and then she kissed him, on the lips. Paul stiffened, for a second, and then put a hand around her waist, pressing her against him. He had never really kissed anybody before- that time at the Familiar Summoning Ritual didn´t count-, so he awkwardly tried to return the kiss and make her feel good, his mind lost in a haze. Then, seemingly at the next moment, she pulled him away. "Louise?"

"Goodbye." She said, and then Paul understood. He didn´t react fast enough; she smiled softly, put her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him through the portal. He lost his balance, and fell, rolling on the ground with his eyes closed. He came to a stop when he hit something hard, and heard a dull thud. One of the bookshelves, he thought. She missed, and made him hit one, but tan was that. For a moment, he almost believed it. Then, he opened his eyes.

He was him a hill, the same hill he had seen through the World Door, and the portal had disappeared. He was, finally, at home. Forever at home. Paul stood up, shakily at walked to the spot where the gate should have been.

"Hey, this is a joke, right? You are just fucking with me like you always do, right?" He fell to his knees, his hands clenched into fits. "Why the fuck did I protect you all those times, almost dying for you, if you are just going to throw me away now? Why? Just… why…"

"Halkegenia is already out of your reach, partner." He looked down on his hand. That´s right. He didn´t even have the time to sheath Derflinger. "I will hurt… at first. But you get used to it. And I will help you do it."

"Used to it?" He said. Then, he repeated, nearly growling: "_Used_ to it?"

"Yes…"

"Shut up!"

"That life you had there was a lie, you are better off here, parn…"

"I said shut up! Shut up!" He broke down, and sobbed. "Shut up…"

"One day you will understand, partner. I hope so, anyway. The damage is no irreversible." Paul just stood up, like he hadn´t not heard Derflinger and walked away, towards home.

* * *

><p>He reached the city in less than half an hour. While crossing the streets, the people gave him odd looks and pointed at him. Maybe because they recognized it for being the boy that had disappeared moths ago, son of James Davis and Mary Davis; maybe just because of Derflinger, who was still strapped to his back. If so, then he thought that they must have just thought how odd it was that a teenager was carrying around a toy sword. Nobody could have thought that not only Derflinger was a real sword, but that he had killed with it. Nobody could have thought he came for another world, after ending a war. Nobody knew him.<p>

He reached his house without nobody brothering him, not even a police officer and crossed the gate. He approached the door, and rang the bell. Waiting, he heard the footsteps coming for inside. The door opened, and he saw his mother for the first time in months. At first, it was like she was looking through him. Then, she took a step forward. He saw the hand extended towards him, afraid that he disappear and noted that she had lost weight. A lot of weight. Now, she looked like he could pick her up without effort.

"Paul… is that you?"

"I am home, mother." Paul said, and smiled weakly, tears in his eyes. She rushed towards him, and hugged him. He hugged her back, his grip tight, thinking about the familiar runes that he could still see for the corner of his eye, of the weight of Derflinger´s sheath on his back and how many legal problems he could cause him.

But mostly, he thought that at home, in the arms of his mother, was the first time he felt completely alone.

**Author´s Notes**

**First of all, I want to apologize for the delay. Yeah, I know I promised one chapter each week, and I have managed that even now, but for a long while I manage to publish one chapter every wednesday or thursday, so it kind of makes me fell bad. Sorry again. **

**I have marked this history as complete, but in thruth, this is not really complete. You can consider this the end of part one. I don´t really know if I am going to write part two, thougth, and this works as a ending, so, because I don´t want to leave the readers hanging, I marked it as complete. Maybe I will continue this in the future, but for now, this is the ending of No Heroes Here. Also, one last thing. The title is a quote for the lyrics of The Reverse Will, which is used in Silent Hill 2. Said lyrics are taken for the children´s bed time prayer "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep"**

**EDIT: The second part of No Heroes Here will be written some time after I finish Blood On The Streets.**


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